One Day Left to Book Launch

Well, when we last left our hero, he had spotted Frankie arriving in his hometown. Naturally, in a small town, it doesn't take long for them to run into each other again. Unfortunately for Jake, when he first chats up Frankie, she is completely and utterly uninterested. Not only does he not get a date, she won’t even tell him her name. But he’s not letting that stop him:

Jake

I like women. I know most guys would say that, but I genuinely like women and naturally I like to get with women. Of course, being in the NHL definitely improves my odds with chicks; I figure I’m a nice guy, but sometimes that’s not enough. Still, I get that not every girl is into hockey players or into me, and it kind of seemed like the little brunette was one of them. I wasn’t going to keep after her if she wasn’t interested, but she was hot enough to rate some extra effort.

The next day at the gym, I asked Brad about her during our training session. “Hey Brad, you know that brunette that works out here?”

He made a face. “Afternoons? Short with long brown hair?”

“And stacked!” I added.

“Yeah, you’re only the tenth guy to ask me about her. It’s not that kind of gym, and I should never have let her talk me into a membership.”

“Why, is she picking up guys all the time?” That would be good news, because she seemed more on the chilly side.

“No, quite the contrary, she’s strictly not interested in anything but working out. But she’s proving to be a distraction.”

“Has she got a name?”

“Look Cookson, you need to concentrate on your workouts while you’re at the gym.” And he increased the level of the treadmill I was on.

“C’mon, Brad!” I puffed, “She was actually on me for not working out hard enough, so it can only be a good thing if I see more of her.”

He frowned again. “Well, she does come to the gym almost every afternoon and work out hard. Her name is Frances Taylor, Frankie for short.”

So I started coming to the gym afternoons too. Frankie looked pretty cute in her little workout outfits, but it was true that she totally focussed on her routine and hardly looked around. By the end, when she was all sweaty and her top was sticking to her, I was ready to overlook all her prickly ways just to get a crack at that body. Then she would shower and come out wearing these dresses and high heels. She looked like something out of an old movie, but way hotter.

So, will Frankie get over her broken heart? Will Jake ever get Frankie to go out with him? And what was making the weird yowling noise in the pet carrying case? For the answers to these and other burning questions, check out How The Cookie Crumbles. 

You can find the book right here. For a limited time, it’s at the special introductory price of only $2.99, which is half the regular price. Why are you still here? Go get it, and enjoy!

Two Days Until Book Launch

So, when we left our intrepid heroine, she was just flying across the country to spend the summer in Kingston. And what is waiting for her in Kingston? Why – limestone buildings, numerous penitentiaries, and limited job opportunities. Oh yeah, this is a romance, so there’s a guy too. And he’s a hockey player, because that’s all I write about. Anyway, his name is Jake Cookson, and he sees her the minute she steps off the airport bus.

Jake Cookson

Andrew pointed, “Shit! That’s her, the chick was I telling you about.”

Tolly and I looked over. There were two girls across the street, hugging each other, which is always hot to watch. Almost as good as girls dancing together at a club. Not as good as girls kissing.

“Which one is she?” Tolly asked. I noticed that the little brunette was gorgeous with a smokin’ body, she was wearing those tight yoga pants and a blue top that showed off her big tits. The other girl had light brown hair and was wearing a dress; she was pretty too, but kind of skinny.

“The one in the dress,” replied Andrew, he was getting a goofball look on his face. I had only been home a week, but I had already heard a lot about this chick he was crushing on: she worked at Queen’s University and he was taking a summer course there. So far he hadn’t had the guts to talk to her, but the summer had just started.

As we were watching them, we noticed a weird yowling noise. The little brunette looked over at us nervously and then picked up a pet carrying case and they pulled all these suitcases down Division Street. She had a great ass too, and I enjoyed the view as they walked away. With all that luggage, it looked like maybe she was moving here, which would be good news.

“I wouldn’t mind her doing her friend,” I commented.

“Perfecto, Jakester! You can snag the friend and then introduce me! We can like, double date,” Andrew suggested.

“How am I going to do that? I may never see her again, it’s not like I know where she lives.” Although, from the direction they were headed, it looked like somewhere in the student ghetto.

“Excuses, excuses.” Andrew shook his head, “You’re the guy who always scoring the Hollywood chicks, right? A sweet Canadian girl will be like putty in your hands, and besides, it’s Kingston in the summer. How can you miss a new hot girl around here? Just do your magic and I’ll be on her friend like white on rice.”

I laughed and threw the soccer ball at him. He caught it and kept yakking, “C’mon, what’s the good of having a famous friend if I can’t use him to score the girl of my dreams?”

“Yeah, Cooker, just use your charm and good looks to wheel that chick,” Tolly snorted. “And if that doesn’t work, tell her how much money you make.”

Hmm, a rich player? Sounds exactly like the kind of guy that a girl mending her broken heart doesn’t need. But will Frankie fall for his charm, large salary, and (cough, cough) good looks? Stay tuned for the final excerpt tomorrow, or just wait until October 1^st  when you can get your own copy of How The Cookie Crumbles.

Three Days Until Book Launch

Frankie’s had enough and she’s not going to take it anymore! Instead of sticking around to watch her ex-boyfriend, Matt, date every attractive waitress at the restaurant, she’s going to take the chicken exciting way out, and flee Vancouver. Of course, she’s hardly ever strayed from home, but desperate times require desperate measures.

I was on a plane to Toronto for my very first solo flight, and I was very excited. I felt daring, even if my entire family had taken me to the airport, and acted as if I was boarding the Titanic or something. My mom had been crying about her baby leaving Vancouver, and my dad had alternated between telling her not to be ridiculous and giving me painful hugs and more painful advice. My brothers were happy that I was paving the way so that when they left home it would be slightly less humiliating. Only my grandmother told me I was doing the right thing and suggested I “go a little wild.”

I had taken a leave of absence at the restaurant so I could go back in the fall if I wanted, and then I debated whether I should tell Matt that I was going away for the summer. Instead I told Shawntell that I was moving to Kingston. I may have misled that geographically-challenged birdbrain into thinking that I was going to Kingston, Jamaica, which she would then pass on to Matt. Take that, boring chartered accountant guy!

Bianca was right, as I flew farther and farther from Vancouver, I thought less and less about Matt. I felt nervous, but at least I wasn’t obsessing about my own life. Truth be told, I did stick too close to home and familiar friends and family. For most people flying across the country would not be a big deal, but for me it was huge. I felt brave and nauseous at the same time.


Brave and nauseous? Why that’s how I feel when I publish a new book. Anyway, what could be awaiting Frankie in the little town of Kingston, Ontario? Check in tomorrow for our next excerpt and find out. And if you’re enjoying these excerpts, you'll definitely want to check out How The Cookie Crumbles.

Four Days Until Book Launch

Well, yesterday we left our heroine, tearful and sad, after her breakup with Matt. Fortunately, things can’t get any worse for her. Or could they? In this excerpt, one night after the breakup, Frankie goes to work at the restaurant where she and Matt met. And there’s a nasty surprise waiting for her.

As soon as I got to work, I knew something was up. Cinnamon, who was one of my better friends there, pulled me aside once I walked in the door.

“Oh my God, Frankie, I am so sorry to hear that you and Matt broke up! You guys were like the perfect couple.”

“It’s okay, but wow, it doesn’t take long for bad news to spread. How did you hear about this anyway?” It only happened yesterday afternoon, and neither Matt nor I worked last night.

“Well, Shawntell told me. Matt called her and he asked her out! Did you not know?” Cinnamon’s eyes were wide and her perfectly glossed lips formed a matching circle.

“What! He’s going on a date with Shawntell!”

Matt and I used to laugh at Shawntell. In addition to having a mother who couldn’t spell, she was blessed with gorgeous sun-streaked looks and a killer body. But she was so incredibly stupid that she was gave dumb blondes a bad name. She was constantly getting her orders wrong, and causing all kinds of problems in the kitchen. Was dating airheads what Matt meant by having more fun? Of course, she also confided in me that she believed giving b.j.’s gave her an orgasm because she had an extra clitoris in her mouth, which now seemed to be information I probably I shouldn’t have passed on to Matt.

Poor Frankie is having the week from H-E-double-hockey-sticks. But she’s got enough spirit not to take all this lying down! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s excerpt, and remember How The Cookie Crumbles launches on October 1^st.

Five Days Until Book Launch

With my new book, How The Cookie Crumbles, launching on October 1st, I thought I’d feature an excerpt each day leading up to the launch. It’s such a long book that I could probably excerpt it for a year and still not have everything up! Did I mention it's 150K words? That's actually the length of two books, so it's a chance to get lost in a world that's funny, exciting, and romantic.

Our heroine, Frankie Taylor, is happily celebrating the end of her third-year university, by eating yummy doughnuts in the park. Suddenly, she’s brought down to earth by her boyfriend, Matt. He’s decided that it’s his last summer to have fun before he joins the real world of work. And his idea of fun does not include a steady girlfriend. Frankie is completely blindsided by the break-up, and limps back to her parent’s house to recover:

Frankie Taylor

I definitely looked sadder now, but maybe nobody would notice.

My mother was already in the kitchen cooking dinner. I could smell tomato sauce and hmmm, chicken with rosemary roasting. I reached into the cookbook cupboard and pulled out the recipe box.

“What are you doing, Frances?” my mom asked curiously.

“I thought I’d make something for dessert. Maybe some brownies?”

“I was going to serve ice cream, but that would be nice, dear.” She gave me a suspicious look. “Isn’t Matt staying for dinner?”

“Um, no, he had to go.” I grabbed an apron and started pulling out the flour, sugar and cocoa. “Oh Mom, not Frye’s cocoa, didn’t I tell you to get the Dutch processed cocoa? It’s way better.”

“Well, unfortunately they don’t have it at the Superstore, and I don’t have time to search for it everywhere.” Mom was a great cook, but she wasn’t into anything too gourmet or too trendy.

I started measuring and sifting and creaming. Whenever things bothered me, I liked to bake. There was something comforting about the way that measuring precisely and following directions in a recipe meant things always turned out perfectly. Baking was so unlike life.

I would admit that I wasn’t the most spontaneous person in the world, but Matt had basically told me that I was boring. And it’s not like we had stayed home every night, we went out to parties, clubs, and friend’s places. I loved to entertain, but Matt enjoyed that too. He used to tease me about being a domestic goddess, but he never complained about all the creature comforts that went with that. Plus, I had thought that our sex life was great. Just seeing him undressed was a total turn-on for me; he had this amazing muscle definition and an actual six-pack. And Matt was experienced, so sex was way better than with Adam back in high school. Adam was clueless when it came to female anatomy. He should have been paying attention in Health instead of writing song lyrics in his notebook. But whatever, my sex life was over now.

I sighed quietly to myself so my mom didn’t hear anything.

I finished mixing the brownies, poured them into the greased and floured pan and popped them into the hot oven. Then I started creaming more butter for the icing. My older brother, Glen, walked in and stared at me.

“Did you break up with Matt?”

“Glen!” My mom admonished him. “Don’t pry, I’m sure Frances will tell us when she’s ready.”

I burst into tears. “Why does everyone know what’s going on with me? Am I so boring and predictable?”

My mom came over and hugged me awkwardly, since I was waving a buttery wooden spoon around. Glen came over and made it a group hug. “Sorry Franny,” he said, “It’s just when you start randomly baking, you’re usually upset about something and Matt had left, so I figured.…”

Poor Frankie! Will she ever recover, or will she be forced to drown her sorrows in Belgian chocolate? Stay tuned for a daily excerpt and be sure to mark your calendar for October 1^st when How The Cookie Crumbles will be available for download.

Will your team win it?

Well, my new book is in its final stages, I've sent it out to my lovely beta readers to make sure that it functions on their ebook readers and for now, I have nothing to do except watch preseason hockey. (And of course, do all the things around home I ignored while finishing my book. But the vacuuming can wait, the vacuuming can always wait!) Probably I should be marketing or something, but I feel that hockey romances have a pretty limited audience. As the saying goes, "If this is the sort of thing you like, you will like this thing."

So, since the season hasn't even started, let's talk about the Stanley Cup already! Here are the current odds that every team will win the Stanley Cup, courtesy of Bodog Sports:

	Chicago Blackhawks	6/1
	Pittsburgh Penguins	15/2
	Boston Bruins	10/1
	Los Angeles Kings	12/1
	St. Louis Blues	12/1
	Detroit Red Wings	16/1
	Vancouver Canucks	16/1
	San Jose Sharks	18/1
	Minnesota Wild	20/1
	New York Rangers	20/1
	Anaheim Ducks	22/1
	Edmonton Oilers	22/1
	Ottawa Senators	22/1
	Philadelphia Flyers	22/1
	Toronto Maple Leafs	25/1
	Washington Capitals	25/1
	Montreal Canadiens	28/1
	New York Islanders	33/1
	Carolina Hurricanes	40/1
	Colorado Avalanche	40/1
	Columbus Blue Jackets	40/1
	Dallas Stars	40/1
	Nashville Predators	50/1
	New Jersey Devils	50/1
	Tampa Bay Lightning	50/1
	Winnipeg Jets	50/1
	Phoenix Coyotes	66/1
	Buffalo Sabres	100/1
	Calgary Flames	100/1
	Florida Panthers	150/1

If the ranking of your favourite team makes you sad, just think: how the heck do they calculate these odds? The team rosters aren't even finalized, and there is a lot of uncertainty with the lower salary cap. Many talented mid-level players don't even have contracts yet. And of course, injuries – the great leveller – are already beginning in the pre-season. It's a long way to the Cup, but the ride will be an exciting one.

New And Improved

One thing that made me very sad was that changing the title of my book to How The Cookie Crumbles meant I couldn't use the original cover I had created. I really loved that cover, mainly because the doughnut looked so yummy. Last night, I was looking at Joel Friedlander's site, he's a professional book designer, and once a month he judges all the book covers sent to him. There are winners, and there are not winners. Frankly, some of the covers are lousy, but I admire that the authors or designers were brave enough to submit, since I'm not. But reading Friedlander's comments is like a crash course in cover design. The main message I took is that covers need to look as professional as possible.

So armed with my new design knowledge, I took another look at my cover and sighed. The most amateur part is the photo. I took the photo of the cookie myself, and I have to admit–it looks a little green and unappetizing. It also floats weirdly on the page, since I didn't add a shadow. While I'm sure I could fix that in Photoshop, I'm also sure it would take me ten hours to figure out how, given my learning curve in creating the covers. So, I headed over to my favourite free stock photo site, Stock.xchng, and managed to find a better cookie photo. It has colours similar to the doughnut I loved.

So, here's the original doughnut cover. Nice, eh? Well, I think so. Expert opinions may differ. It's probably the photo that makes it, since everyone loves doughnuts.

And here's the cover I did with my own cookie photo. After publishing my first book, I added the grey border because otherwise the cover disappears on the Amazon website, and I also made the hockey sticks a little more visible. I preferred the subtler sticks, but they completely vanished when I looked at them on an actual Kindle.

Now, here's the new cover. I added the new photograph, and put the font in the same colour as the cookie. I thought it looked way better, but the combined colours were a little too Barbie.

So, I tweaked the cover: shrinking the cookie (and thus its calories) and making the font colours closer to the original doughnut cover, but keeping the new "cookie pink" colour in the subtitle. Voilá!

Another thing I like about my cover design is that it's a template, so I can easily create covers for all my zillions of books, by choosing a new photograph. Now I just have to write zillions of books.

Now, what do I think Joel Friedlander would say about my cover? Probably that I need to look at book covers in my genre, and make it look more like them. So, if it's a romance book about hockey, it needs a ripped male torso and skates, or two people making out. But I would argue that my books are not typical romances, they are Frankenstein hybrids of chick lit/romantic comedy/hockey story–and therefore the covers should look fun and different. And then Joel would shake his head and say, "Mel, I give you expert advice worth thousands of dollars and you insist you know better. You're an idiot."

What do you think of the cover? I have to admit, I have a background in arts and design (but not Photoshop!) so I have pretty strong views, but I am willing to listen to the opinions of people who actually read my books. Oh, at first there'll probably be crying and ripping of t-shirts, but then I will take your criticism into consideration. Maybe.

The Thrill of Destruction

For me, the fun part of a book is writing it. I like carrying the characters around in my head, writing up their conversations, and thinking up funny predicaments. I also like making the covers, which in my case means thinking up new twists on the basic design, and then spending way too long trying to resolve photoshop issues. (Like why does the background look white on some books and gray on others? You can see for yourself I haven't resolved that yet.) And like every author, I enjoy tracking my sales online.

The parts I don't enjoy are editing, proofing, and formatting the book. If there was a little fairy who could come over and do all this, that would be excellent. However, errors and inconsistencies in books drive me crazy, so I realize that good editing and proofing are vital for the reader's enjoyment. This time I did find a way to make editing more enjoyable. I printed out the book–yes, all 150,000 words of it and blew out a printer cartridge in the process– and then edited by hand with a red pen. Old school, but it was immensely satisfying to input the changes and then shred the pages. Why is destroying stuff so much fun? 

But hooray! I've finished all the edits now, passed the book on to my lovely and talented editor, and  it looks like I'm right on schedule for my launch date of October 1st. After I finished last night, there was a celebration when someone sweet got me ice cream treats. It does seem fitting to celebrate a book that's about food with food. Destroying stuff, ice cream, and a whole day off before I have to start inputting the editorial changes. Woohoo.

Finally a launch date for the book...sort of

You know that saying, “Make hay while the sun shines?”  Well, out here in Vancouver, we do pretty much everything while the sun shines: riding bikes, swimming, hiking, shopping farmers markets, and on and on. The only trouble is that the sun has been shining for almost two months, and while that has meant a fabulous summer, it’s also meant not enough time for writing.

But today, it’s raining. I must be a true Vancouverite now, since I found myself staying outside long enough to get soaked, and then feeling completely energized. I’m set for a full day of editing and rewriting, and I’m going to come out and commit to an October publication date for my new book. I realize that October is not a date, but it’s a lot closer than just saying soon. I have my fingers crossed for October 1st. 

The book has a new title now: How The Cookie Crumbles. Still food-oriented, of course, and I have to admit that writing this book often makes me quite hungry since there are tons of eating scenes. I have a new cover too, and that involved trying to get exactly the cookie I wanted from the puzzled girl at the bakery: “No, not that one, can you give me one with more blue Smarties?” My cookie model was quite cooperative, but unfortunately by the time the photo shoot was done, it was too stale to eat.

I have the first half of the book completed written, edited, proofed and beta-read. So, that leaves the second half, which is all written, one-third edited and completely unproofed and unbeta-read. But I’m committing to a blog hop on September 30^th, with the hope that a deadline will get my butt in gear. I think you’ll find the hop quite interesting, since it’s all writers who write about hot hockey players. More details to come when I find out what exactly a blog hop is.

What I loved about online serial writing was the fixed deadlines, churning out a chapter nightly or semi-nightly. I proofed but I never worried about errors. But publishing is different, and I’ve been a little angsty around the perfection of the finished product. No more though, I want to get this book out there…so I can begin on the next ones.

Love, but not the romantic kind

My book on my Kindle!

I love my Kindle.

I got it about three weeks ago, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Now, I don’t want this to be an advertisement for Kindle. If you have a Kobo, Nook, Sony or any other e-book reader, just insert the name of yours wherever I write Kindle. It’s especially satisfying since I bought mine with the profits from the sale of Fresh Air, so if you bought my book…hey, thanks!

I love the convenience.

I pick it up and it’s full of books. Plus, I can pick up where I left off. I have a fabulous collection of bookmarks…somewhere. I suspect I leave bookmarks in books, including library books, so that they slowly disappear over time. That bookmark I got from a hotel in Istanbul, the hand-painted one from Winnipeg, the one from a defunct bookstore---they’re all gone. So I’m usually reduced to using receipts and those stupid inserts from magazines, but no more!

And to have something to read whenever I’m waiting brings out my happy multi-tasker. My doctor runs 30 minutes late, minimum. When I went last week, that wait just flew by. “What, me already?” And then when I got into the examining room for my second wait, voilá: book to read! Not wasting time makes me feel virtuous, even if I am reading some cheesy freebie. It’s a book and therefore > a parenting magazine from 2010.

I love working on it.

I loaded my next book, which I have been editing forever, onto the Kindle. It allows me to actually experience the book as a new reader would. Currently my inner new reader is telling me that the book is waaaaay too long. So editing is ensuing. Unfortunately I love my words, and keep thinking I don’t want to lose the good parts. But if there’s anything I know from reading the cheesy freebies, it’s that a good editor is worth her weight in [insert your favourite treat here.] And if I would just stop reading, maybe I could get that editing done.

I love feeling like a techno-geek-leading-edger.

Seriously, I know that there is no technology knowledge needed for an ebook reader. Open box, load Kindle, begin reading. And I still have trouble turning pages back. But since the Kindle Paperwhite has just arrived in Canada, I am ahead of the curve. The most knowledgeable technology guy I know (his job involves vaguely consulting with startups for something cool I don’t understand) doesn’t even have one yet. Recently I gave a friend advice on her Kindle at the library. In a loud voice, of course. And yes, it’s a big deal because I am kind of a luddite. I keep phones so long that people want to see them because they think they’re new. “Oh, what’s that? I’ve never seen a phone like that before.”

In summary, I am very happy. There are still a few drawbacks. I don’t have a cover yet so I use a Ziploc bag when I take it in my purse which lowers my cool quotient. I want to make an adorable cover myself. And I have some complaints about the cheesy freebies I’ve been reading, but they were free, right? Finally, the Paperwhite has no colour, so my cover looks blah on it. But overall, very happy!

The Next One

 

The next one is not Sidney Crosby, as some say, but my next book. Unlike Fresh Air, this one is looooong, 60 chapters long! The first draft is completed, and currently in the editing stages, so major changes can still happen. Now that Christmas is over, I can really buckle down and work on the rewrite, which is something I procrastinate about. I wish I could write only first drafts and a team of scholarly elves would do all the editing and rewriting for me.

Anyway, Everyone Loves Doughnuts is the story of Frankie Taylor, a true homebody, who loves cooking...and eating. She has lived in Vancouver for her whole life, and when a  crisis forces her to make a change, she flees across the country to small town Ontario. There she meets two new men: one a handsome, successful businessman and the other good-natured and slightly slobby hockey player. Well, since Frankie's never been a huge hockey fan, it's no contest...or is it?

Introducing Fresh Air

Well, here's the first book! It's a short, eight chapter romance. Unlike most of my writing, it's actually rated PG, you could read this one out loud to your grandmother. Except perhaps a couple of words, but honestly, I think that grandmothers have seen it all and they're pretty hard to shock.

So here's what the book is about:
Janet Samson leads a quiet life. She lives at home and works the night shift at a downtown veterinary clinic. Then one night, a tall, dark and sort of good-looking stranger comes in with a terribly injured kitten. Usually Janet has eyes for animals only, but in this case she may make an exception.
Hmmm, I seem to have forgotten to mention: It's a hockey romance, because that's all I write.

Fresh Air is actually my favourite story that I've written. I think because it's succinct, and because both Janet and Max both feel deeply but keep their emotions contained. And of course, I love the two cats in the story.

I hope you'll enjoy Fresh Air too.

Welcome to my book page!

Welcome! I write about relationships, hockey, art and cats. So if any or all of these things appeal to you, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been serializing my stories in an online community for a few years now, and I’ve been lucky enough to have had tons of encouragement from all my readers. In fact, my work was so popular it started to get ripped off by commercial websites looking for more traffic. So I took it down and decided to find another way to offer my work to readers. Another author encouraged me to try epublishing, so here I am.

So far, the writing and editing have been fine, but the technical formatting has resulted in a lot of frustrated screaming at my poor laptop. But my fingers are crossed that it will all get easier each time.

My first book is actually not a full-length novel; it’s a 15,000 word, eight chapter novella. I wanted to start with a shorter test book to make sure it was properly edited and formatted. This book was written because I lost a bet, or rather my hockey team lost a game, so I had to write story for a fellow hockey fan. So if you like hockey and romance, I think you’ll enjoy Fresh Air. I think the best way to describe it is a little romance, with hockey and cats.