In Case Anyone Wanted An Update...by Jannine Gallant

When I was thinking about blog topics, it occurred to me my last three posts could use a follow up...just in case anyone cares. LOL

Back in July... We asked for feedback for the first line of our Christmas stories. The top two contenders were:

3)  Pulling this off would take a Christmas miracle.

4) The eggnog was definitely spiked.

The Roses voted, and the winner by a slim margin was...drum roll, please...

Pulling this off would take a Christmas miracle.

We hope you'll all stop by in December to read our stories. I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with, since, (for the first time ever) the group actually voted for my line! And in case you're wondering, the entries are all anonymous.

Early in August, I blogged about my old laptop that was dying a slow and painful (to me) death. I asked for replacement suggestions. Well, I finally sucked it up and got a new one. And the winner is: A Lenovo Flex 5. It's still the larger screen size, but with a narrow border and no CD drive, the laptop is much less bulky and far lighter than my old one, which is what I wanted. I got the power and memory I needed and am actually liking the touchscreen capacity that reminds me of my phone. Chrome saved all my passwords, so that nightmare didn't happen. I'm getting used to Windows 10 with no major issues, so maybe this old dog can learn new tricks. AND, it was on sale...$200.00 off! Let's just hope it lasts as long as my old one did...

Finally, my last post was about my new book covers and branding. If you'll recall, Kensington decided to give my BORN TO BE WILDE series a more suspenseful vibe by repackaging the series to better compliment my soon to be released mass market books. They just finished the third book cover for WILDE THING. This story takes place mostly in Tahoe in the winter, and this cover is my favorite of the bunch. The background scene is the Truckee River just outside Tahoe City on the way to Squaw Valley. Very, very cool! They still have to finish the final cover for WILDE HORSES before they'll all be traded out on retail sites, but I couldn't resist sharing.

For now, check out all my books on my WEBSITE. Currently, an oldie but a goody is on sale for .99 cents for a limited time. Pick up your copy of EVERY STEP SHE TAKES while it's a rockin' deal! Happy reading!

A Long Time Coming by Jannine Gallant

I want to share my news here, where I feel the love and support of my fellow authors who are on the same journey. So, something good happened, something I've waited for and dreamed about since I put pen to paper (literally) the summer I graduated from high school and decided I wanted to write romance books when I grew up. Thirty-six years later, I finally got the call I had stopped believing would ever come. Apparently, I'm a slow maturer! Now mind you, I've been published for six years. I was thrilled when that first digital contract was offered, and the first box of print on demand books was delivered to my door. Nothing is quite as wonderful for an author as the emotional connection to holding a book with your name on the cover. But I never lost the desire to see my books on a shelf in an actual bookstore.

I think we've all been there.

I've felt the frustration, convinced it was all about luck. Thinking that no matter how hard I worked or how good my books were, having my babies brush shoulders with Nora's on a shelf in an actual store wasn't ever going to happen. Turns out, it isn't a total crap-shoot, after all. Apparently we can make our own luck. I hope my story will inspire every author out there who is tempted to give up on their dream.

I've written and published or contracted a total of 18 books over the last six years. I've gone from small publisher to self publishing to a search for an agent to the digital imprint of a large publisher. I think I can say with confidence that my writing has continued to improve. I've worked hard and put out two or more titles per year. I kept producing, even when sales were awful and I felt like a complete failure. Still, I had confidence in my work and kept at it. And little by little the sales improved, and my publisher took notice and began promoting my books. Their efforts grew my audience. As my latest series, Born To Be Wilde, gets ready to launch into cyberspace at the end of this month, my editor told me my pub wanted to consider something new from me. I came up with the premise and blurbs for a three book romantic suspense series, per their request, then wrote a synopsis and the first three chapters of the first book. Then I waited...and waited...and waited.

The phone call finally came. But it wasn't from Marci, my editor at Lyrical, the digital imprint of Kensington. It was from Martin, who is much higher up the food chain. And he made the offer I'd hoped for but never really believed I'd get. He told me my books had attracted notice, that my readership was growing, and that the team at Kensington felt I was ready for print. Would I be interested in a 3 book contract with their new Lyrical mass market paperback line, which would launch in 2018?

Uh, hell yeah I'd be interested! So, in March and July and December of 2018, I'll have books with my name on them on shelves in actual brick and mortar stores. Okay, maybe I won't rub shoulders with Nora since she's an R and I'm a G, but I think I can live with that!

The moral of this admittedly long post is...Don't give up! Keep writing and improving your craft. Keep putting out those books until you grow a following. It took me 36 years and 18 books, but it happened. Perseverance won! Now all I have to do is write these next three books to the best of my ability and promote the ones I have coming out, and hope all the planets line up in the galaxy in 2018 and those babies sell!

If I can do it, you can do it, too!

So, while we're waiting for 2018 to roll around or even for Wilde One to launch at the end of the month, marketing is pushing my old series. Every Move She Makes is on sale for 99 cents for the entire month of September, and Every Step She Takes is selling for 99 cents for two more days. Get them while they're hot at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple iBooks! Visit my website for info on all my books, and happy reading!

Back to School Shopping ~ Ugh! ~ by Jannine Gallant

I survived. Barely. You moms know what I'm talking about. The annual Back-To-School shopping trip with your kids. The one where you're so sick of shopping by the end of the day you don't even look at the prices anymore and just say, "Get it and let's go!" so you can get the heck out of the mall! Apparently this August pilgrimage doesn't end when they graduate from high school. Oh, no, it actually gets worse. Because now you get to shop for stuff for the new apartment your college age child is moving into after the dorm, you know, the one that comes unfurnished!

In addition to buying household products and small appliances to compliment all my old pots and pans and the newly shipped loft bed, we were on a mission to outfit the oldest for the triathlon team she's joining--new running shoes, bike gear (don't get me started on the price of a road bike) etc. etc. And the youngest was pointing out in every store we entered that, in addition to school clothes, she has no shorts since she grew out of all hers and gave them to her older sister.

But could I just sit on a bench and patiently wait while this frenzy of shopping played out. Uh, no. Because over time, my girls have learned I apparently know them better than they know themselves and have an eye for fashion. The stuff they choose goes unworn in their closets. The clothes I buy as gifts become favorites. No, I'm not a fashion plate (I wear nothing but jeans and sweats...much to their chagrin) but I'm a pro at picking clothes they actually like and will wear. So, while they lounge in the dressing room, I run back and forth bringing them my top picks to try on.

Yeah, I should have had a career as a personal shopper.

But, I survived the ten hour ordeal and returned to tell the tale. Lighter of pocket (thought to be fair they did buy some of the stuff with their own hard earned cash) and with happy daughters. So, do you love shopping, or (like me) would you rather pour honey over your entire body and lay on an ant hill? Let's hear your back-to-school shopping horror stories...

And while you're in a shopping frame of mind, EVERY STEP SHE TAKES is on sale through the end of this month for only 99 cents. Get your copy now at the usual spots: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks. Or visit my website for more info on all my books. Happy shopping!

Subtle Distinctions in Romance Sub-Genres by Jannine Gallant

I've been doing a lot of thinking about subtleties. I know, hard to believe coming from me. I generally use a sledgehammer rather than kid gloves to make my point... However, I've been editing, and I've come to a few interesting conclusions.

What determines the sub-genre of a book? I used to think it was the content of the story. Does the plot have a strictly romantic conflict, or are there bad guys to contend with? I always maintained I couldn't write straight contemporary (except novella length) because I needed the suspense to fill out a full-length book. But, I'm starting to think content isn't the deciding factor in determining sub-genre.

I'm using our own Margo, my beleaguered CP, as my case in point. I'm approaching the end of her latest WIP in a frenzy of editing. This is book two of her Brothers-in-Blue series about cops who protect the women they love from creepy villains. Now, I've also had my grubby little mitts all over book one. My constant comments were that she needed more suspense elements to make these books true romantic suspense because something just felt off. Reading book two, I realized the number of bad-guy encounters wasn't the actual problem.

Why didn't these books feel like suspense? I finally came to the conclusion it's not plot but voice, tone, style--or maybe all of the above. It's the same reason I can't write straight contemporary, I don't have the right style. Margo delves into the romance and the deep emotions of her characters. She takes her  time telling their story. Me, I make people tired when they read my books because my pace is fast and furious. I don't delve. Neither style is wrong. They're just different. However, a quick pace lends itself to romantic suspense because it keeps the reader on edge. On the other hand, deeper emotions feels more contemporary.

So, despite the fact Margo is writing about cops and bad guys, my suggestion was she shop her series as contemporary with suspense elements. The only downside, she needs to add more S-E-X to make them really appealing as contemporaries. Always a downside... LOL

What do you all think? Does the content or the tone determine the sub-genre of a book? Is my theory out to lunch, or am I on to something? Please chime in.

And while we're on the subject of the second book in a series...Every Step She Takes, book two in my Who's Watching Now series is on sale for 99 cents. Get your copy on Amazon now. Or check out all my books on my Website.

Let’s Talk Heroes…And a Giveaway by Jannine Gallant

What makes a hero a hero? I mean besides the hot factor. We all know that’s pretty much a given. So far in my Who’s Watching Now series, my heroes have been pretty stereotypical as far as careers and temperament go. In Every Move She Makes, Kane is a police detective hell bent on protecting the heroine and her daughters from a stalker. In Every Step She Takes, Travis is an ex-Navy SEAL who owns a Security and Investigations company. He gets to save the heroine by thwarting an assassin. In other words, these guys are bad-ass. Nothing wrong with that!

Then there’s Jed, my hero in Every Vow She Breaks. In the winter he gives backcountry Nordic ski tours. In the summer, he ran (past tense) a family wilderness camp until it shut down. So Jed is unemployed and doesn’t really care. He owns a two room cabin in the mountains and spends all his time traveling, hiking and basically having fun. Too much fun…or so the heroine thinks. She can’t imagine Jed (who hasn’t changed much since she knew him when he was ten years old) will ever settle down and become a responsible adult. Then there’s the “protect” aspect of the hero’s job description. When Claire starts getting strange notes and gifts, does Jed jump into protection mode like a good hero should? Uh, no, he shrugs it off at first. Although he is intrigued with the idea of figuring out whom the culprit might be, kind of like a who-dun-it game. Hmm, not very hero-like. At least not in the traditional sense. So, does a hero have to be a bad-ass responsible adult, or can he be a sexy, fun-loving guy with a positive attitude and a few other redeeming qualities?

If you want to know if Jed starts acting more hero-like, gets his act together and finds meaningful employment, or saves Claire from the creep who’s watching her, you just might have to buy the book. Or, if you’re lucky, you can win one! An e-copy of Every Vow She Breaks in your choice of formats is up for grabs! Just leave a comment with your thoughts on heroes (along with your email address if I don’t already have it), and I’ll pick a winner. Good luck!

For more information on all my books, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS available now! by Jannine Gallant

The third and final book in my Who's Watching Now series is here! If you've followed the series, this is Jed's story, the fun-loving, sexy brother of Kane from Every Move She Makes. Each book in the series stands alone, but I think it's kind of nice for readers to get a last look at what's going on in the lives of the characters they've gotten to know and love after their HEAs. Don't think this book is just more of the same, however, because you're in for an action-packed ride. Every Vow She Breaks puts its own unique spin on the stalker story, and it has an added twist.

This book began with a title. Now normally we write a book and then choose a title to fit it. Vows was created in reverse. I had Every Move She Makes written and Every Step She Takes half done when I decided on the titles for this series. If you're familiar with the song by The Police, you know my title choices for the final book in the series were limited. I decided on Every Vow She Breaks and then set out to create a plot that would fit the title. Kind of bas-akwards, as my dad used to say, but it was actually pretty fun. I created my heroine, Claire, a childhood friend of Jed's, and then invented a cast of characters she broke a promise to in some way. I hope readers will be kept guessing as to which one is the psycho targeting her with weird wedding paraphernalia. What starts out innocently enough escalates into a sick fantasy by the end of the book.

Okay, I promised you a twist. I decided to set this book in the redwood forest of California near where I grew up. The scenery is gorgeous and a bit otherworldly with all those fog-shrouded trees. My setting was simply crying out for something more... So I delivered. Bigfoot. A group of scientists are determined to prove Sasquatches do exist. Claire wants a picture of one to launch her photography career to the next level. Jed is a kid at heart who would love to believe in gentle giants roaming the forest. So, is Bigfoot real? I guess you'll have to read the book to find out! But here's a short excerpt after Jed and Claire are reunited that will give you a feel for the story.

He grinned. “Claire Templeton, does the heart of a rebel beat beneath that proper façade?”

She glanced down. “What’s so proper about jeans and a T-shirt?”

“It’s the look but don’t touch aura you project.”

“Hmm. Is that why your hands are jammed in your pockets?”

He nodded. “It helps me resist temptation and maintain my good guy persona. I wouldn’t want you to think I grew up to be the sort of man who preys on lone, defenseless women.”

“I’m not defenseless. I took classes. Besides, Scoop isn’t just a pretty face. If you threatened me, he’d rip your arm off.”

“Good to know. I’m in favor of keeping that mutt happy.”

“You have something against dogs?”

“Only ones who look at me like I’m on the dinner menu.”

Claire didn’t blame Scoop one bit. The man was drool-worthy. She licked dry lips and turned when the beach ended at a rock cliff jutting into the water. They started back the way they’d come.

“Do you plan to camp with this research group?”

She glanced over. “Not right away, although I may spend the night out there at some point. I have an appointment with the director tomorrow, so I’ll know more after that.”

“I’d give my left—uh, arm to see a Bigfoot. Can I tag along?”

Pressing a hand to her mouth, she couldn’t hold back a giggle. “You sound exactly like the ten-year-old boy I remember. I’ll tell them I have an associate and ask permission for you to join me on any expeditions.”

“Hot damn!”

The giggle erupted in a laugh. “You know it’s all probably a big, fat farce, right?”

“Sure, but what if it isn’t?”

“What if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are real?”

“If you’re such a skeptic, why’re you writing the story?”

“I’m writing about the process of hunting for a Bigfoot…and photographing a beautiful area of California. Anyway, I have an open mind.” She swept a hand toward the forested hills rising away from the coast. “Who knows, any number of things could be hiding out there.”

So, if you're interested in what happens to Jed and Claire, pick up a copy of Every Vow She Breaks on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks or KOBO. Have a great day!

An Exciting Week...or...Help Wanted! by Jannine Gallant

I Need Help! Probably not a shock to anyone...LOL But this time I need specific help. Book title help. Let me explain what happened...

Last week was an interesting step in my writing career. I had a .99 cent BookBub ad out for Every Step She Takes on Feb. 10th, the second book in my Who's Watching Now series. The third book, Every Vow She Breaks, will be available on March 1st. Last summer, my publisher used the same sales tactic with the first book in the series to promote ESST when it released with really terrific results. But I came up just short of the top 100 overall ranking on Amazon. This time I made it! My lowest ranking was #91 overall and #3 in romantic suspense. Of course the number immediately started a steady upward climb after hitting that milestone, but I felt I'd accomplished something huge. Also, I saw a nice dip in rankings on book one and pre-orders for book three. I hope I can keep the momentum going until EVSB releases on March 1st.

So, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself when I got an email from my editor at Kensington. The uppity-ups wanted a proposal for a new series from me. Was I interested? How soon could I have one ready? Wh...what? My second series with them isn't even finished. The first book in the Born To Be Wilde series, Wilde One, won't release until September. I'm currently 20,000 words into the fourth and final book. Apparently my big ranking milestone caught someone's attention. I can only assume they're banking on the Wilde series doing well to want more books from me. A thought that made me jump up and down a little.

Then reality set in. Here I was, thinking I'd finish Wilde Horses and get to slow down and take a break. Maybe clean my house... Really think about what I wanted to do next. Because I hadn't given my next project a single, solitary thought! I've been too busy writing. The good news was I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was contemporary and a series. Romantic suspense was A-Okay. Terrific! Except I had nothing to guide me in choosing a theme for the new series.

This is where I started pestering my CP, poor Margo, with dozens of emails. I like to call it thinking out loud to someone who will actually answer me, so I don't seem quite as crazy as I would talking to myself. I bounced around ideas. She gave me back a yay or nay and made pertinent suggestions. After getting no writing done for two days, I came up with a series title and rough plots for the first two books. The third is pretty hazy. Here's where the plea for help comes in.

The title for my series is Finders Keepers. The idea is each of the three heroines finds something (but doesn't realize its significance) that the villain of the piece wants back...and will do whatever it takes to get it. Book one is Lost And Found. Book two is Playing For Keeps. Book three is the question mark. I want to use either Find or Keep (or some form of those words) in the title, and I want a common phrase. My plot revolves around my heroine, who searches the countryside for antiques and collectibles for her shop. She finds something related to a crime in a box of junk she bought. Oh, this is a friends to lovers story with a lot of angst getting there. All title suggestions are welcome. Ready, set, go!

If you haven't read Every Step She Takes yet, it's still .99 cents. Buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple iBooks.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Shaking Things Up in the New Year by Jannine Gallant

I've come to the conclusion my writing career is in a constant state of flux. My needs and goals change...and change...and change some more. As 2016 rolled in, I took a hard look at what was working for me and what wasn't--and decided I needed to stir the pot yet again. I don't like confrontation. I lose sleep worrying about it as I suck up the courage to make a big move. This time was no different.

A couple of years ago, my top goal was to get a paperback contract with one of the Big 5 publishers. In order to do that, I needed an agent since these pubs won't take queries from unagented authors. So, I went shopping and collected dozens of rejections until one agent said yes. I was thrilled. But that paperback contract didn't follow. Instead, I signed my Who's Watching Now series with Lyrical Press, the ebook division of Kensington Books.

I've been amazed and excited by the support I've received at Kensington. They actually promote my books. I know, shocker! That's never happened before. After my first two books released, they asked me for a second series, and I agreed. So, for the foreseeable future, I'm pretty well set. If my books do well enough, there's the possibility of a paperback contract with Kensington down the road. We'll have to wait and see, and I've learned the value in not jumping the gun. Building a reader base in the digital market first is a really smart move.

So, I had the contracts and the agent. The thing is, I'm Type A down to my toenails. Every time I had a question or an issue, my agent directed me to go through her. I much prefer getting my own answers. I didn't like having a middleman. And when it came right down to it, I didn't need one. I keep an eagle-eye on everything pertinent to my writing. I'm not afraid to ask questions or stand up for what I want. I didn't need someone who was a heck of a lot more reluctant to rock boats than I am to make requests for me. So, I left the agency. And now that it's a done deal, I'm sleeping again.

Will my needs and goals change again in the future? I'm sure they will. If they do, I'll take a look at my options and go from there. I do feel with each new stage of my career, I go in better prepared with the knowledge I've garnered along the way. I'll have a better idea of what works for me and what doesn't. For now, I'm excited to meet the upcoming challenges!

Every Vow She Breaks, the third book in my Who's Watching Now series will be out on March 1st. It's currently available for pre-order. Until then, the first two books, Every Move She Makes and Every Step She Takes, are on sale for 99 cents! If you haven't checked them out yet, now's the time!

It's All in the Setting! by Jannine Gallant

I don’t know about you, but for me, the setting just might sell the book. If I read a back-cover blurb and am intrigued by a unique setting, I’m more likely to give a new author a try than if the story takes place somewhere that doesn’t resonate with me. Some locales—like Hawaii—just shout romance. I immediately picture long walks on moonlit beaches, swimming with turtles, hot guys surfing… You get the picture! But sometimes Romance is more fun when you find it in unusual places.

For suspense books, readers may expect something a little grittier. A place with a darker side… But, I’m not a big city girl. I live in the woods…okay maybe not the way a bear does, but they are right outside my door in Lake Tahoe. I like to make my characters rough it a little. Every Step She Takes contains a little of both worlds. My heroine is from San Francisco. She covets five star accommodations and well-equipped gyms for exercise. I pulled her out of her element and tossed her down in the wilds of Alaska. The following excerpt is an example of what she has to deal with...

One foot in front of the other. Stumbling down the trail in the semi-dark a short time later, she repeated the mantra through clenched teeth. Ahead of her, Travis walked with a jaunty step. Obviously he was one of those disgusting morning people. Another thing they didn’t have in common.

“How’re you doing?” He called over his shoulder without having the decency to turn around.

“Peachy.”

“We can take a break and have something to eat once we get off the main trail.”

The amusement in his voice found a home on her third nerve. “Wylie can have my share. I’m not hungry.”

“How long are you going to sulk?”

A yawn nearly cracked her jaw. “Not sure. Maybe another hour or so.”

“Good to know. I’ll set my watch and check back with you then.”

Grinning, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her bad mood evaporated as the sun rose, shining golden through the trees. With each passing mile, the forest thinned, turning to a stretch of rugged grassland.

“Damn.”

“What’s wrong?” Her voice croaked from disuse. She cleared it.

“Without cover, it’s easy to spot someone in this terrain with a pair of binoculars. Forget what I said about taking a break. We need to run instead.”

“How am I supposed to do that carrying a backpack?”

He stopped abruptly. “Hot damn, that must be the secondary trail. See those scuffmarks. I’m guessing Sutton dropped his pack there, maybe to pull out a map or food.”

Grace stared at the ground and blinked. Dirt and rocks, a few bent grass stems... Wylie sniffed the area before wandering off.

Turning, Travis faced her. Worry lines fanned out from his eyes. “I really want to lose the guy tailing us. See the trees up there near the base of the mountain. We can rest when we get to them.”

Her skill at judging distance without convenient street blocks was sadly lacking, but she guessed it was at least a couple of miles. “I suppose I can run that far. Let’s do it.”

His eyes warmed. “You’re a good sport.” Bending, he brushed away the prints in the dirt. “Not much I can do about the grass. Try to stay on the rocks until we get a few yards away. This isn’t much of a trail, and I’m hoping the man following us will pass by without noticing it.”

Stepping carefully, she followed Travis across the uneven ground. Wylie tore through the grass, ears flapping as a big jack rabbit bounded before him. After a couple of minutes, he returned, a disappointed look in his eyes.

“Sorry, buddy.” She gasped for air. Running with the pack was an effort. It thumped painfully against her tailbone, but she didn’t dare stop to adjust the straps. The distance between her and Travis increased gradually. She forced herself to run faster.

Reaching the trees took an eternity. Focused on the blur of green, it slowly morphed into individual, towering spruce and hemlocks. The rising sun filtered through the branches, and a bed of needles padded the ground beneath her aching feet.

“We can stop now.”

Grace slid the pack from her shoulders and let it fall with a thump. She dropped next to it, her chest rising and falling with her labored breathing. Rivulets of sweat soaked her shirt, and needles clung to damp skin. With tongue hanging and sides heaving, Wylie flopped down a short distance away.

“You okay?”

Letting out a long breath, she closed her eyes. “Yeah.”

“I’m unbelievably impressed.”

Grace opened one eye, squinting against the light angling down on her face. Travis stood next to her. His thigh muscles bunched beneath soft cotton sweatpants when he squatted beside his pack.

“By what, my graceful collapse or sweat drenched hair?”

“Good God, Grace, half the Navy SEALS I trained with couldn’t have maintained that pace. You’re an animal.”

“A compliment guaranteed to put a smile on any woman’s face.”

So, what are your favorite settings? Do you prefer country or city? A tropical beach or a snowbound cabin? How about my Alaskan wilderness? Is my sweat-drenched heroine destined for romance?

Every Step She Takes is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. For info on my other books, check out my Website.

Pathetic Stray...or Woman's Best Friend by Jannine Gallant

Did you know August 2nd is Friendship Day? I have friends...real life ones and online buds. Honestly. But I swear I spend more time with man's (or woman's) best friend than any of the human kind. Ginger hangs with me while I write then forces me to take breaks to take her for walks in the woods. Lately, she's been having an issue with her paw. Licking one of her toes until she has a raw spot. After two rounds of putting a sock on her until it heals, she'd still at it. Sigh. Trip to the vet, and tomorrow she gets to have minor surgery to get whatever's bugging her out of there. Neither of us will be having a great day...

In my most recent release, Every Step She Takes, I decided my tough heroine, Grace, needed something to soften her up a little--besides the hero. He does a pretty good job of that, too, but I digress. So, I decided to give Grace a stray on her hike through the wilds of Alaska. How she acquires her soon to be best friend is a fun scene...

The trail climbed more steadily than she did. Grace wiped sweat out of her eyes, pausing occasionally to drink from her water bottle or eat a handful of the trail mix Berta French had provided. Shaking the last of the snack into her hand, the light breeze sent the empty bag sailing off her fingertips. She turned to grab it and saw a streak of brown shoot into the bushes.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she backed slowly away. The handful of nuts, pretzels, and dried fruit rained down onto the trail. The bush shook, and a long brown snout inched forward.

If the animal didn’t get her, surely she’d die of fright. After the monster in the bush finished with her, they’d need dental records to identify her remains. Blood roared in her ears as she pictured the headline.

Careless Journalist Devoured by Rabid Wolf

Wary brown eyes and long, floppy ears appeared. The giggle that escaped her lips held an edge of hysteria. She clamped a hand over her mouth as the dog froze. Not a vicious woman-killer after all. Trembling, the stray from the lake belly crawled to the spilled trail mix and gulped it down.

Mindful of the pack, Grace squatted and held out her hand. “It’s okay, baby. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The dog sniffed her fingers and backed up a step. Ribs showed beneath matted fur with each breath the poor animal took. Mostly brown with patches of dirty white, the dog was probably some sort of spaniel mix. If it wanted to follow her, she didn’t mind having company. In fact, she welcomed it.

“Time to get moving, baby. Let’s go.” Standing, she trudged up the trail. Her new companion followed at a cautious distance. “Good boy.” She glanced back at the scrawny animal, tongue hanging, brown gaze focused on her backpack. He reminded her of the coyote in the old roadrunner cartoon. “I’ll call you Wylie. How does that sound?”

So, if you have a dog, hug your furry pal an extra time for Friendship Day. If you don't, maybe you could give your next heroine a dog to love. Neither of you will regret it! I hope you all have a happy Friendship Day!

Pick up Every Step She Takes at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo. Find blurbs for all my books on my Website.

BookBub Results and Exciting News! by Jannine Gallant

So, last month I mentioned EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES would be featured on BookBub. I figured my fellow writers might be interested in the results. I can sum them up in one word: WOW! Impressive doesn't begin to cover it. All I can say is BookBub was worth every penny my publisher paid--and it definitely isn't cheap! Okay, I'll quit gushing and get to the stats.

My book was listed on sale for 99 cents in the Romantic Suspense category. The cost for this is $380 and your listing goes out to 1,210,00+ readers. Granted at 99 cents (after the retail sites and my publisher and my agent get their cut) I think I was making 7 cents per book. If I did the math right! Still, the fallout was extraordinary. I got down as low as  #1 for Romantic Suspense and #34 over all at Barnes &Noble. Results were similar at KOBO. On Amazon, my lowest ranking was around #145 overall. Of course these numbers didn't last long. Slowly they began to rise. The sale price on MOVE remained for two weeks until EVERY STEP SHE TAKES released on July 7th.

At that time, my Amazon ranking for MOVE was back up to about 20,000. This is when I got super excited. A lot of those readers who downloaded the first book on sale started buying the second one. STEP's numbers dropped pretty fast. Then, even better, MOVE's number started going back down. I was stunned and thrilled. For over a week now, both books have been hovering in the 3,000 to 6,000 ranking range. I'm actually selling books for the full price. (Me, throwing confetti and cheering!) And get this, the third book, EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS, due out in March of 2016 started to get pre-orders. No blurb. No cover even. But people were ordering it! The publisher scrambled to put up the cover on the retail sites. Pre-orders got even better. Right now (or at least a couple of day ago when I was writing this post) that book is hanging in the 20,000 to 30,000 range. Amazing! Check out the cover below. I like it, and apparently readers do, too!

So, what do you know. All those people who say you have to spend money to make money are actually right. Had my pub not gotten my book on BookBub, all those readers who downloaded it on sale would not have known I existed. They would never have picked up the second book. So, a combination of high exposure and having a good product (if I do say so myself!) and having the second book ready to go really produced results. How long will these sales last? I don't know. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll hang in there for a while at least.

Now, on to my news... I just signed a four book deal for a new series with Kensington's Lyrical Press line. I asked for a mass-market paperback deal from their paperback division. They said I'm not ready yet. They hope after one more digital series, I'll have enough name recognition to be ready for paperback in the future. After these results, maybe they're right! At any rate, I'm happy to say I signed on the dotted line. The new romantic suspense series, BORN TO BE WILDE, will debut in the fall of 2016. The first book is written. The second is almost finished. Now I have deadlines for the final two books to meet. I gave myself six months per book. Wish me luck!

So, the moral of this story is good things can happen for all of us if we just keep at it!

For more info on my books check out my website or purchase my books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO or iTunes.

Putting Our Best Foot Forward by Jannine Gallant

I just spent my weekend at the Nevada High School Track and Field State Championships in Las Vegas watching our North Tahoe Lakers compete. And it got me to thinking. I know, dangerous, but bear with me. My oldest daughter is a senior. It's been a year of lasts for her. Next year will be a year of firsts. But this was her final chance to win a state championship in track. She's had a lot of victories over the last four years, but no gold at state.

The meet began with the boys 4 X 800 relay. The first three boys on our team gave our anchor leg a fighting chance. James, a senior, took the baton and poured his heart into running the race of his life, coming from behind. It was dead even at the finish line, and everyone held their breath to hear the announcer. Our boys won by four thousandths of a second! Can't get much closer than that. The same thing happened in the girls 4 X 100 and 4 X 200 races. The first three girls ran hard, gave the baton to Ally, a senior, and she ran faster than I've ever seen her run from behind to squeak out a victory at the line. I'd have to say there's something about being a senior, knowing it's your last race, that pushes you past your limits to succeed.

So, back to Tara. She's a distance runner, and the 800 is not her race. She gave it her best shot, though, and ran a PR and got the bronze medal. In the 1600 she had a chance at victory. She ran a PR, but the girl she was running against was also a senior. She took the gold, and Tara got the silver. The 3200 was the final race of the night on Friday. The stands were mostly empty by 9:30 when the gun went off. Tara started fast with her main competitor running side by side with her for the first three laps. On the fourth lap, Tara sped up and started pulling away. Her pace was fast, and she had four and a half more laps to go. We help our breaths, hoping she wouldn't burn out before the finish. She didn't. She ran the race of her life, a huge PR, and won the race by a long margin--getting that coveted gold. Three PRs and a trifecta of medals. Not a bad way to end a high school running career.

So, how can we apply this senior drive to our every day lives? As writers, do we put our best work forward every time we sit down at the computer? Or are we too busy thinking about the next book to focus on achieving our absolute best with each word we write? In our personal lives, do we get the most out of our day, living it like it was our last? Or are we just marking time? Maybe we can't have that burning drive each day. Maybe it simply isn't possible. But from now on, I'm going to try a little harder to make each book I write my very best. To enjoy the moments in life that I don't always stop to appreciate. That's what I took away from this weekend.

Maybe good things do come in threes. I hope so with my new series. Every Move She Makes is available now, on sale for only 99 cents. Every Step She Takes can be pre-ordered now and releases in July. Every Vow She Breaks will round out my series early in 2016.

Finding Your Way in Publishing by Jannine Gallant

She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. ~ Elizabeth Edwards

Seems like this quote perfectly describes most writers' journeys through the world of publishing. At least it describes mine to a T. It's been five years since my first book was published by a small press. Five years of "adjusting my sails" to find my place in this industry. Of course the actual writing began many, many years before that. Clear back in high school when I sat down to work on my first novel. I had no clue what was in store for me...

Signing with a small press five years ago realized my dream of becoming a published author. I'll be forever grateful The Wild Rose Press gave a newbie author a shot and got me started. I wrote several more books with them, learning and growing as an author, before it occurred to me that being published wasn't enough. I actually wanted to sell books, and that didn't seem to be happening.

So, I adjusted my sails and went the self-pub route. I found it rewarding to control every aspect of the process from edits to covers to formatting. Challenging but rewarding. And I also had a little more success with sales. Better, but not what I really wanted.

So I made another adjustment to those danged sails and signed with an agent who landed me a contract for a three book series with the digital imprint of a major publisher~Kensington. Ironically, the first book in the series was that very first book I published with the small press. I had taken my rights back and done some major rewrites then changed the title. There were characters in that book who needed to have their own stories told. I got the chance with this series, Who's Watching Now. Every Move She Makes releases on March 31 and is currently available for pre-order. The second book in the series, Every Step She Takes, will be out in July.

So, is my sail adjusting over? Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see how sales go with this series. I have my sights set on a print contract. Seeing my books in bookstores was my original goal all those years ago when I put pen to paper (literally) back in high school. I expect I'll have to navigate some choppy waters to reach it. And if that doesn't happen...well, I'll adjust my sails and set a new course. You never know where it might lead!

Pre-order Every Move She Makes from AMAZON or BARNES & NOBLE OR KOBO.

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