Writing a Series
by Jennifer Conner
Writing a series can be just as much fun for the readers as it is for the writers. As a reader, I love books that don’t end when you turn the last page. My favorites often continue with the same characters. My hands down favorites are Clarie and Jamie from the Outlander books or Eve and Roarke from Nora Roberts, In Death Series. Both are married couples who argue, make BIG mistakes and are madly in love after MANY books. Just how it should be
I may not start with the concept of making a story a series, but as I write, I start to think of story lines with brothers, sisters, or best-friends who are introduced. What is their story? Is it worth telling?
Sometimes my stories are stand-alone with the tread being a concept. With my Dog Tails series the characters in the various stories are not related, but have a common thread, they are all dog owners. Book one, Central Bark at Christmas addresses abandoned pets and shelters, Book two, Christmas Gift that Keeps Wagging, covers trained seizure dogs and a single dad with a special needs little boy. Book three, Dog Tags, will be an Army man with a dog he is trying to get home that he rescues in Afghanistan.
But in my Regimental Heroes series, they are all friends who suffer from PTSD in Victorian England. Best-friends, and then his brother and another friend with dyslexia. All brought together by the common thread of war and the era that does not understand what they are going through.
Some stories work tied together, some don’t.
What do you like to read? Stand-alone stories or if you enjoy it, do you want it to go on and on like I do?
For The Love Of Our Furry Friends Christmas Blog Tour
November 20th-30th
Best-selling authors Sharon Kleve and Jennifer Conner adore animals. That’s why they collaborated on this blog tour together. To showcase their Christmas stories celebrating our beloved pets. They hope you enjoy reading them as much as they did writing them.
You can find all the blog stops here: http://authorsharonkleve.blogspot.com/ and here: http://jenniferconnerwriter.blogspot.com/
Book Title: Halo’s Wish (Book one in the Dreams Come True Series)
Author: Sharon Kleve
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 9.13.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet
Book Blurb:
Halo Ann Carlyle wishes for a home, family, and a boat-load of pets. What she gets is a bruised hip, a lump on the head, a broken ankle, and her new yellow Honda Civic is demolished.
Rich McFarland, a sexy veterinarian, keeps showing up in the most unexpected places, promising everything she’s ever wanted.
Halo believes she only has time to pursue her career as a pet detective and must ignore her growing attraction to achieve her dreams.
Will Halo trust her heart, and find a way to get both for Christmas?
Excerpt:
She’d just placed another call through to Pemsky’s office, which went straight to his voicemail, when the office door opened. Halo smiled and looked up into dreamy, gold-flecked green eyes, short sandy brown hair, a slight cleft chin, and full lips set in a hard line. Even with the stern look he had on his face, my hormones jumped into overdrive.
Mr. Dreamy cleared his throat—she must’ve been staring. In her most professional voice she said, “Good morning. How may I help you?”
He removed a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and unfolded the sheet.
“I was parked in front of the Beacon Hill Ale House and my driver’s side mirror was sideswiped by one of Pemsky’s Security’s SUV’s Friday night.”
Halo loved the Beacon Hill Ale House. Every Saturday night the Ale House allowed local bands to jam together. That’s where she’d met her last loser boyfriend. She’d had a lot of loser boyfriends. She’s currently on a hiatus from dating, but she wouldn’t mind jumping back into the dating game for this dream-boat.
He handed her the piece of paper.
“I wasn’t able to get a look at the driver, but I got the license plate number of the vehicle that hit my car and drove away.”
He emphasized the last part.
“I’m very sorry about your car. I’m sure Mr. Pemsky will be happy to cover the damage.” Halo checked the company log and Pemsky’s name popped up as the driver—she gulped.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Halos-Wish-Dreams-Come-True-ebook/dp/B00F4M2N6S/ref=la_B006JAH14S_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384271476&sr=1-2
Barnes& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halos-wish-sharon-kleve/1116903897?ean=2940148724476
Book Title: Brenda’s Christmas Desire (Book two in the Dreams Come True Series)
Author: Sharon Kleve
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.20.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet
Book Blurb:
Like any child Brenda Howser loved Christmas until her parents were killed by a drunk driver during their annual shopping trip.
Brenda went to live with her aunt, who blamed their death on everything that represented Christmas; the gifts, the tree, and all the decorations.
The festivities’ Brenda once cherished became something she dreaded under the shadow of her parents death. She lived in fear of something happening to the people she loved during Christmas.
Christmas approaches and Brenda has to decide if she’s going to let the past hold her prisoner for another year or if she can finally enjoy what Christmas used to mean to her—love.
DEA agent, John Smith knows the significance of December fifteenth to Brenda, but when the head of the Nuevo Cartel escapes federal prison he’s forced to let her face the day without him, but not quite alone.
Can Daisy, a golden Labrador puppy, a huge sale on decorations at the hardware store, and a gift from her aunt restore her love of Christmas?
Excerpt:
December 2013
The weather forecast for the Western Washington area, specifically North Seattle, predicted a good five-to-six inches of snow. Brenda Houser watched the flakes float like cotton balls from the sky as she dipped a tortilla chip into a bowl of thick and chunky salsa and popped the morsel into her mouth.
Her boss, Corny Myers, tapped her pencil on Brenda’s reception desk to the beat of The Little Drummer Boy, which streamed from the Green Hornet Investigations Bose speakers.
“Hey, Brenda. I have bad eating habits but I’ve never started the day with chips and salsa. What’s up?” Corny asked.
“You know how I feel about all the holiday hoopla. I’d rather stick my head in the sand and pull it back out in January.”
“Do you really think Mexican food is going to make you feel better?”
“Probably not, but a couple margaritas might help.”
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brendas-Christmas-Desire-Dreams-Come-ebook/dp/B00GLY8DR6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384271319&sr=1-1&keywords=Brenda%27s+Christmas+Desire
Author Bio:
Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.
Sharon is a writer of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other’s arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.
One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.
When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.
Social Media Links:
Blog: http://authorsharonkleve.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sharonrkleve
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonKleve
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/srkleve/boards/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5399389.Sharon_Kleve
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sharon-kleve/56/ab/691/
Publisher: www.bookstogonow.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Kleve/e/B006JAH14S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
Shelfari: http://www.librarything.com/profile/SRKLEVE
Library Thing: http://www.shelfari.com/sharonkleve
Book Title: Central Bark At Christmas (Book one in the Dog Tails Series)
Author: Jennifer Conner
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.09.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet
Book Blurb:
When Tennyson’s boyfriend left her for her best friend from high-school, all Tennyson received in the break up was her dog. She’s sworn off men and now is rebuilding her life. The only thing Par does is work. He barely has time to do anything he wants for himself other than take his dog to the dog park. When Par and Tennyson find an abandoned dog at the park named Duke. Will they find room in their hearts to take him in? And can this Christmas season weave some special magic for the two of them?
Book Excerpt:
“I’m happy this wasn’t your worst date ever, because I had a great time.” He lifted her chin with the tips of his finger. Slowly he lowered his head until she thought she would die of anticipation. He clamped his hands to her waist and gazed into her eyes. “You’re so beautiful…” There was depth and sincerity in the tone of his voice. She felt special. Desired. He dropped his head and kissed her.
Gentle at first and then deep. She couldn’t breathe. He’d sucked all the air from her lungs, but there was no way she wanted him to stop. As she brushed his firm lips to hers, she relished the feel of her blood simmering in her veins. Par slid his fingers through her long hair to cradle and position her head to kiss her even more thoroughly.
His lips pulled away from hers and he stepped back. She reached for the roof of the car to steady herself. Oh. My. God… could this man kiss.
“Not bad for a first date,” he whispered and then kissed her gently again.
Okay… so it was a date. After that kiss it turned into an ‘official date’ and she had no regrets at all.
Buy Links:
Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Central-Bark-Christmas-Dog-Tails-ebook/dp/B00GG5TY28/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384282427&sr=1-1
Book Title: Christmas Gift That Keeps Wagging (Book two in the Dog Tails Series)
Author: Jennifer Conner
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.06.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet
Book Blurb:
Julian Barrows has his hands full working full time and being a single dad to his kindergarten, special needs son, Gabe. Gabe’s teacher convinces Julian he doesn’t need to do everything on his own and introduces him to a seizure dog trainer, Hanna Acker.
Hanna and her sister grew up without any ‘Christmas Cheer’. She’s trying to get her sister through college and doesn’t have time to let anyone too close, especially the handsome single dad with a kid.
But, Christmas has a way of changing what we thought we wanted… especially when Santa and an adorable four-legged ‘elf’ are involved.
Book Excerpt:
“What’s this?” Hanna asked, as she ran a hand over the grocery bag wrapping paper. Julian took her coat and hung it by the door so she could follow Gabe into the living room.
“Daddy saw this in a store window and said that we had to get it for you. Open it!” Gabe said. “I wrapped it myself,” he added proudly.
“But it’s not Christmas.”
“No. This is a before Christmas gift. You have to open it now.”
She pulled off a half-pound of scotch tape and finally the paper fell away. Hanna stared at the gift in disbelief. “A Christmas sock… with my name on it.”
Julian came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You told me that you’d never had a Christmas stocking of your own when you were growing up. Gabe knew Santa wouldn’t know where you were if you didn’t have you sock hung somewhere.” He winked. “So you needed it.”
“You can take it to your home or you can hang it here!” Gabe shouted almost tripping over Cody.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Gift-Keeps-Wagging-Tails-ebook/dp/B00GJ2G7UA/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384281714&sr=1-4
Author Bio:
Jennifer Conner is a best-selling Northwest author who has over thirty short stories on ebook and three full-length books in print. She writes in Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, and Erotica.
Shot in the Dark hit Amazon at #1 in Romantic Suspense and Christmas Chaos was #2 in the Romance category.
Her novel Shot in the Dark was a finalist in the Emerald City Opener, Cleveland, and Toronto RWA contests.
Jennifer is an Associate Publisher for the indie e-book company Books to Go Now that resides in the Seattle area. Books to Go Now offers professional editing, cover design, multiple book format file creation, and most important–publicity. Their staff works to help make our author books a success one book at a time.
She lives in a hundred year old house that she grew up in. Her semi- small town holds an interesting mix of resident hillbillies, yuppies and Navy Seals. And of course Seattle, only a few miles away, is the birthplace of Starbucks so coffee is always on the check list. She blows glass beads with a blow torch, (which relieves a lot of stress and people don’t bother you).
Social Media Links:
Website: http://jenniferconnerbooks.com/
Publisher: Bookstogonow@gmail.com www.bookstogonow.com
BLOG: http://jenniferconnerwriter.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.conner2
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jennilynnjac/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferconner1
Amazon Author Page: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3362270.Jennifer_Conner
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a2863285/Jennifer-Conner/
Library Thing: http://www.librarything.com/home/Jennifer.Conner
Rafflecopter Giveaway Info:
Prizes:
- One (1) Winner will receive a $25 gift card to a book seller of their choice
- One (1) Winner will receive Sharon Kleve’s Book one and two of the Dreams Come True Series.
- One (1) Winner will receive Jennifer Conner’s Book one and two of the Dog Tails Series.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blurb:
Publication date: August 2013 
Author Bio: Janette Harjo is the bestselling author of romantic paranormal/fantasy. Her current and upcoming release, from Books To Go Now, is the continuing love story in the CONNECTIONS Trilogy. Ms. Harjo enjoys life and has varied interests. To name a few, when she is not standing in front of her keyboard, she enjoys classic car shows, the theater, and singing in her church choir. In her own words, “Every day is a Celebration!”
Author Bio: Amber Daulton lives in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina with her wonderful husband and their five crazy kitties. Writing takes up most of her time, aside from her day job in the retail industry. As a fan of contemporary, paranormal and historical novels alike, she can’t get enough of feisty heroines and alpha heroes. Her mind is a wonderland of romance and adventure, laughter and awesome ways of kicking a guy when he’s down. Writing is her passion and she probably wouldn’t be too sane without it. After all, what’s a girl to do when there are people jabbering away in her head and it’s hard to shut them up? Write! Nothing else works.
