Notes from the Sisters
Wow! Researching, writing, editing, rewrites, more editing, out to Beta readers for feedback, tweaks, final edits…all done! And yes, my first book is published. It is an amazing feeling. Check out my Author page, a link to Amazon will let you read the first few pages for free, read for free with KU or purchase the eBook for $2.99. The paperback will be available in a few weeks. Now it is on to marketing, more marketing, networking, advertising, and writing on books 2 & 3 of the series. I have also outlined 2 more story ideas that are talking to me that are outside the Shepherd Security series. I will work on those as the ideas flow.
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I have been writing like crazy when life doesn’t get in the way. It’s funny how the creativity is working. I’m writing between the 1st three books of the Shepherd Security series – like jumping between all three books! Different scenes that brings different personality development out are flowing between all three books. My sister, RK, has advised me I have to write what is speaking to me, there is no forcing what I want to write, or what I think I should write. Madison’s personality in book two has really been speaking to me. I wrote a lot of book two and her scenes in book three! I really like the distinct personality she has and how it has come out. She is a much different person than Angel in book one, or Sienna in book 3. I am moving out my expectation of having book one out to sometime in the summer, but book two should come shortly thereafter! I’m really enjoying writing these books and I really cannot wait to finish them and share them. I hope they will be worth the wait!
Our military members are special! I honor all past, present, and future members of our military with my stories. Salute the flag, stand for our national anthem, and thank a Vet for their service. Freedom is not free, a lot of people sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. Don’t ever forget! Margaret It is with mixed emotions I complete the Destined & Redeemed trilogy with clicking ‘publish’ on Amazon, sending Destined & Restored out into the world. I finished it a few weeks ago, and then went on a cruise, letting it sit. I returned to it with fresh eyes for a final read through this week. With a few tweaks, I just hit publish! Wow, is all I can say. Two years’ worth of thought, work, editing, and more editing culminating in the simple act of publish. Deamous and Grace, Vlad and all the other characters have been constant companions. I know them so well, every aspects of their lives and personalities. How I will miss them! They are my first characters that I have poured so much into. I wonder if I will feel as close to the next ones? Josh and Cassie in From the Storm, or Olivia and Sabian in Intimate Guardian, both of which I am working on right now, will I feel the same for them? Or is the emotional attachment to the characters from the Destined & Redeemed saga special because they are the first I brought to life? Or rather I should say, came to life under their own power? We will see. Within 48 hours Destined & Restored will be live on Amazon! I hope the conclusion of the story brings my readers the same feelings I have regarding the series and the resolution of their storylines. Happy Reading! Remember, A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK!  Everyday life is full of wonderful sights and sounds that most of us overlook. Many times, while sitting in a restaurant waiting for a friend, going to a rock concert, the opera, or the ballet the smallest things inspire new ideas and storylines that I hadn’t thought of. It amazes me that even certain smells can set off my creativity; a woman walks by and her perfume becomes her signature. I have dreamt up her storyline before she is out of sight. Things that are going on in my own life helps bring some of the stories to life too. I am hopeful you will enjoy the Stevens Street Series.
Book 1 – Saved is available on Amazon. Meet Andy, owner of the Stevens Street Gym, the hub that connects the characters in the series. He is looking for the right woman to spend his life with, has he found her in Kenzie? And Kenzie, her life was normal in every way until the day she wakes up beside Andy. How she got there is just the beginning of their story. Book 2 – Scorched will have more of an edge to the story. Butch and Madeline have a unique story, very different from Andy and Kenzie’s. He’s a fireman, she’s a chef. They both know about fire, but nothing has ever been this hot for either of them. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing the story. Look for it this spring. Book 3 – Seduced focuses on Andy and Butch’s friend Logan. He is the epitome of the bad boy who doesn’t believe in marriage or even monogamy for that matter. Gia wants to get married and have children, talk about two opposites! Get Seduced this summer. "Your seat is a verb, and your reins are adjectives to add beauty and shape." – Pat Parelli Back in the saddle! Charlie As the characters in the Destined and Redeemed Saga spoke to me over the course of the year before I put fingers to keyboard, I knew it would be a sweeping saga that spanned several books. The many characters had depth and stories I knew wanted to fully delve into. Books 1 and 2 were solidly formed in my mind before I started to write. Book 3, Destined & Restored was a little looser in its content as books 1 and 2 practically wrote themselves, the stories streaming out of me. I knew the stories of the many characters and how they would come together and come to an end for their HEAs, but there were some elements that while I knew where they were headed they have since taken on a life of their own. The entirety of the saga showed itself to me, stretching all the way back to the attack that left VemÜp devastated and it became important that I brought restoration for all…all relationships…all aspects of the story.
Book 3 will be the longest of the trilogy, and hopefully, I will do the story and characters justice. It’s taking longer to have the story finished, but I think you, the reader will believe it is worth waiting for when you read it. I won’t spoil anything, but what you can count on are a few surprises, a little humor, some drama, of course the Kindle-melting passion of the past books, and the HEAs for your favorite characters. I was planning to have this book done and out by the end of January, but with the expanded storyline, it is looking more like end of February. Stay tuned. I will keep you informed! If you missed it, my sister, Charlie Roberts published her first book Saved at Stevens Street in December. It is out on Amazon, KU, eBook and paperback. If you're looking for a new read check it out! A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. All my best, RK! Hello and Happy New Year!
I do hope 2017 was good to you. It was to me! I still want to pinch myself that I have 2 books published and am nearly done with book #3 in the Destined & Redeemed Series. With 2018 upon us I’d like to take this time to wish you much happiness, health, financial security, and happy times with those dearest to you for the year ahead. May 2018 be your best year yet! Destined & Redeemed and Destined & Returned are both available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited, purchase the eBook for $2.99 or the paperback for $10.50 on Amazon. Congrats to my sister, Charlie Roberts on publishing her 1st book, Saved at Stevens Street! It is available to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited or the eBook can be purchased also for $2.99. She is working on making it available in paperback as we speak. Her first review posted with 5 Stars declaring the story to be: realistic, compelling, emotional and romantic with a unique story line plus a whole lot more - go to Amazon and read it yourself! There are links on both our pages to go to Amazon to get each book. We also both have Newsletters - click the subscribe button on each of our pages to be notified when new books are out. We are both looking for Beta readers who would like to read our books before they are published to help make the stories better. You can email or use the contact form to let us know if you're interested. Passionate readers who will read and give their opinions within a week only please. A written word that is not read, is lonely and sad! All my best, RK! Exciting change made last week preceding book 2’s release. I moved the books to be sold exclusively through Amazon and am releasing them for sale and to read for free through Kindle Unlimited. This was a strategic moved spurred by the publishing platform, Pronoun, announcing its closure. Pronoun was amazingly easy and simultaneously released my book to 5 retailers.
My first experiences with going directly through Amazon have been very positive and I do believe enrolling in the Kindle Unlimited program will make the stories more accessible to many. I’m excited to evaluate the difference. Book 2 Destined & Returned is out and I am more than half-way through writing book 3, Destined & Restored. If you would like a chance to get this steamy read for free sign up for my newsletter (link on the RK Cary page of this website) and then register to be a Beta Reader! I will look for volunteers who want to get free reads prior to each new book’s release to give me feedback to make the stories the best they can be! A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! ,Years ago, a work friend told me a story about another work acquaintance who was going in for a mammogram but couldn’t get the large door-knocker style nipple rings from her pierced nipples. Her husband had to use vice grips to remove the piercings the night before. This friend telling me obviously thought I knew about our coworker’s piercings… I did not, till then. We both had a good laugh about it envisioning what this had to look like, a semi-surgical home procedure at the kitchen table after the kids were in bed.
I never judged this woman for her choice to pierce this body part, but I will admit when I was in meetings with her after that, I was discreetly looking at her chest trying to figure out what kind of bra she wore that hid such large jewelry. I had noticed nothing unusual in the past. My bra, though properly padded, allowed the world to see when I was cold, so I couldn’t figure out what kind of bra would hide something as large as what she wore. It intrigued me. I also wondered why she pierced them, how badly did it hurt at the time, and other sexual things related to them being pierced. Still, there was no judgement in my attention to this, just curiosity. I realized through this that all kinds of things make people see others differently just because of knowledge they suddenly have that they did not before. It might be as benign as leading to curiosity or as severe as actually judgement. I bring this up related to my writing as I encountered this last weekend. While at a social gathering, a friend referred to my book, Destined & Redeemed and the racy content, jokingly saying she’d never have guessed I have that kind of wild streak in me. But it gave me pause, not that I thought writing and publishing an erotic romance book would be cheered and accepted by everyone. I knew there would be those who would judge what kind of person I am to write this content, but I truly discounted this as anyone who knows me, knows what kind of person I am. Anyone who does not, well, they are not a friend, so quite frankly their opinion does not matter to me. In putting yourself out there, your creativity, your thoughts, you are opening yourself up to curiosity and judgement. It goes with the territory. Did it bother me? No. But it reminded me of the pierced nipples coworker and my curiosity when interacting with her after I knew, making me realize that some may have similar thoughts or feelings about me now, just because of the content of my books. I’d like to say to them, seriously folks! It’s fiction. But I know it is something deeper. It is my creativity, my thoughts, how mind works that has now piqued others curiosity, intrigue, or judgement. Does this change what I will write in the future? Absolutely not! But it brings to me an awareness and a respect for other people’s thoughts and feelings. They are entitled to their opinion, just as I am mine. Being aware of these things is important. Knowledge is power and the written word carries with it a lot more than what most people think it does. A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! My sister, RK is an inspiration to me. She blocks out time every day and is diligent in her writing. She always was the nose-to-the-grindstone sister, the achiever among us. As she wraps up writing book 2 in her Destined & Redeemed series (I can’t wait to read it!) I wanted to express my congratulations to her on this accomplishment. Crafting this story across a trilogy is something that takes talent and dedication! She has also been working on book 3 and another book, completely different than this series. Her creativity and vision for this series makes me believe that I can do it too! (Really, I had to have gotten those same genes!)
I, on the other hand, struggle with finding the time to write as well as getting myself into the creative mood when I have the time. Usually, it is in the middle of the most chaos that my mind opens up and the ideas flow. I started book 1 in my Shepherds Security series a while ago, but ideas for book 2 creep in constantly. I tried to push them away and focus on book 1, but that hindered my creativity. RK suggested I let the ideas go where they would and write what was in my mind. In following this advice and I am writing more than I was and am happier with the output of my work. My wonderful husband helps me proof the military correctness, so it is something that is connecting us, as well. RK said to me she was wasn’t sure where the line was between hobby and obsession, but I think I know. I just crossed it! Our military members are special! I honor all past, present, and future members of our military with my stories. Salute the flag, stand for our national anthem, and thank a Vet for their service. Freedom is not free, a lot of people sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. Don’t ever forget! by Margaret Kay! I have been working on finishing writing Book 2 in the Destined & Redeemed series, Destined & Returned. I am just putting the last few pages to rest and I am very pleased with the story. I have also begun the first rounds of editing. Yes, I am self-editing as the cost is in the thousands to have a manuscript professionally edited. Perhaps one day soon I will be able to afford the cost, but I cannot right now. There are a lot of approaches to editing a book and I am employing about 4 of them. Hopefully it is edited well. I'll talk about self-publishing in a later post.
It has been several weeks since I hit the button to publish Destined & Redeemed and I am honored by the number of people who have given my book a chance and communicated with me to tell me that the story pulled them in and that they cannot wait for book 2 to see what happens. For those who have read it and reached out to me, I truly thank you for the support you have given me and the excitement you have shared with me. A word written that is not read, is lonely and sad. RK! |
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