Lost Innocence out in the World by Jannine Gallant

Graphic created by our own Alison Henderson!

I've had a busy week. LOST INNOCENCE released last Tuesday. To me, it felt like this book has been on the market forever (probably since I've written two more books since this one), but only for pre-order. Now you can actually read it. Yay! Here's the link to Amazon. Hint. Hint. Reviews are welcome! I got a bunch from NetGalley, but they haven't put them up on Amazon. The good news is everyone seems to like it.

I also had a BookBub ad for EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES on the same day. The magic of BookBub is a wondrous thing. I got down to #117 in overall rankings on Amazon before it started moving up again. I'm still hanging in the #5000 range a week later. The other two books in that series are selling well, too. Yippee!

But back to LOST INNOCENCE... My mom found copies in her local Walmart! I know it's out in Barnes & Noble, but BURIED TRUTH was not picked up by Walmart when it released last February. If you happen to wander into your local Walmart, can you let me know if you see LOST INNOCENCE there (or in any other store)? Photos are welcome! If distribution is widespread, that's a whole lot more venues to sell my paperback books.

I also had a birthday yesterday. 56! Boy, do I feel old. I took stock of my life and writing career and felt pretty good about where I am. Other than the gray hair and extra pounds--I could do without those! The positives are I live in Tahoe. You can't beat that. My husband and I had no issues adjusting to our empty-nester status. The girls are both thriving at college. I have books in actual bookstores! I wasn't certain that would ever happen. I can't complain.

I'm still waiting for word back from my publisher on my next series. But we all need a little suspense in our lives, right? How about you? Any good news to share? To check out all my books, visit my website. Happy reading!

Things Are Looking Up! by Jannine Gallant

As you read this, I'll be hip-deep in workshops and book signings at the 2018 RT Booklovers Convention. My very first convention ever! I promise a full report on what I learned for my June 2nd post. In the meantime, this one will be a mishmash of recent book-related news and possibly a photo from the convention if I can find time to download one.

Me right before the Kensington party ready to sign.

So, we've discussed in the past the importance of reviews and the magic BookBub has on sales if only we could get accepted by them! I've been busting my butt to get more reviews on WILDE ONE, the first book in my BORN TO BE WILDE series, but I've stalled at 19. Despite the high average rating, BookBub rejected my publisher's request, and I was seriously bummed. I've also been nagging everyone I know to review BURIED TRUTH, the first book in my SIREN COVE series. That one has 26 reviews, but after being hit by NetGalley trolls, my average is below 4, so not a contender until it gets a little higher. Thinking all had failed, I was amazed and delighted when the editorial assistant at Kensington emailed to tell me I got a BookBub deal for EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES! That book released three years ago and had two BookBub deals way back then. As a result, it has lots of reviews and a high average. Hey, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm simply going to cheer! I know from past experience that ALL my suspense books will see sales from one ad! I pretty much happy danced around my house. Anyway, the ad will come out on June 26th, release day for LOST INNOCENCE. How fortuitous! I'm hoping for a big boost in release sales!

AND, as if that wasn't enough good news, my buddy James the editorial assistant just sent me the marketing plan for LOST INNOCENCE. What do you know, it's been reviewed by both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly--a first for me! More happy dancing, this time around the boat ramp booth. Check out my WEBSITE for the quotes!

The moral of this story is to keep at it and don't give up. Good things will happen! Now we'll wait for the end of June to see if those good things result in actual sales. Happy reading everyone, and if you're at RT, please say hello to me. I'd love to meet both authors and readers!

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!

The Good and the Bad of Summer by Jannine Gallant

There's a lot to love about summer. Our oldest is home from college, and it's nice to have her around again. The youngest is no longer counting the days until school gets out... But both girls in short doses is better for everyone concerned, so it's good they have summer jobs.

Walks in the woods with Ginger are amazing. Flowers are blooming like crazy, and the creek is flowing after a decent winter. All good, very good.

Fire danger is extreme. Bad, very bad. There's a forest fire burning down near Auburn, which is 100 miles away from Tahoe, but I can still smell the smoke. Ugh. Crossing my fingers we survive the summer...

Then there's the road construction. Yep, the bane of summer. I'm on a first name basis with the flag woman at the bottom of my street. There are two long stretches of construction, complete with guide cars, on the West Shore in the three miles between our house and town. They work mostly at night, which would be great if I didn't have to be at work at 5am. Whine. Whine Whine. Road work gets a big, fat BAD.

On the writing front, the good news is I finished my final round of edits on Book 3 in the Born To Be Wilde series. Yipee! The bad news is, my editor sent me the galley to proof TWO HOURS later. Not even a single day off. Sigh. Does anyone else completely despise reading their own book for the millionth time? Surely I'm not alone on this one.

So, let's hear it. What do you love and hate about summer?

Oh, more good news. Every Move She Makes is still 99 cents. The bad news is, tomorrow is the final day of the sale. So, it's now or never to get this one at a rockin' deal, peeps! Buy it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or, check out my website for info on all my books.

Happy reading!

Brave or Stupid? You Decide... by Jannine Gallant

So, I was out walking Ginger, trying to decide what to write for this month's post, when my (brave or stupid -- you decide) dog nearly gave me a heart attack. We were coming back through the meadow when Ginger took off like a bat out of hell. I was thinking squirrel, since she routinely chases them up the nearest tree. No, such luck. Good old Wile E. was high-tailing it toward the woods with my brainless mutt in hot pursuit. Of course I had to chase both of them even thought I couldn't possibly catch up, screaming my head off. Yeah, funny. I hope you at least got a smile out of the mental picture. Believe me, this isn't the first time we've enacted this scene. I doubt it'll be the last since coyotes are thick around here.

But, it gets better. A couple of days ago, my husband came back from a walk and said Ginger had chased a bear. Until the bear stopped. Apparently she had enough sense to stop, too...and have a stare-off...before Pat's yelling finally sunk into her thick head and she retreated. Probably the same bear we met on the field at the rec center across the street one morning about a month ago. The bear was minding it's own business when Ginger ran up to within five feet of it. No barking or growling from either party. They just stared at each other. I was the only one making any noise as I begged my mentally challenged mongrel to "Come here this minute!" (Are you seeing a trend here?) She ignored me, of course. When the bear moved another five feet away, I sucked up my (courage or stupidity -- you decide) and ran up to Ginger to drag her away. After I got home, my husband pointed out the bear could have killed me, too. Uh, you think?

So, I'm not sure who's a bigger idiot, me or Ginger. You decide. I know who's braver. LOL I was trying to relate these experiences to writing, and I recalled seeing a post on Facebook not long ago from an author who'd published her first book and had decided to quit her job so she could spend more time writing. All the comments were congratulations, but all I could think was, "You, poor, deluded fool. I hope you don't need the money." Is this woman's optimism an example of Ginger-chasing-a-coyote-or-bear stupidity? Or bravery? I think we all make choices in our writing careers that take (bravery or stupidity). Many of us left the safety of a small press where acceptance was pretty much a given after a few books to pursue either self-publishing or big presses. It took guts to break out of that safety zone. In some instances, the move worked out. Sometimes, not so much. I had an agent, and I fired her. Maybe a smart move. Maybe not. The jury's still out on that one. I was shaking a little when I sent her the email. Almost as much as when I grabbed Ginger's collar right next to the bear who kept his eyes on me the whole time...

So, have you made any questionable calls in life or in your writing career? Feel free to share.

By the way, Every Move She Makes is still on sale for 99 cents until the end of the month. For that price, you definitely aren't making a risky purchase. Buy it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or, visit my Website for info on my other books.

Free vs 99 Cents ~ What works best to sell books? by Jannine Gallant

I've seen a lot of controversy lately between various writing groups about the benefit of free books and 99 cent sales as a promotional tool. There seem to be three camps:

1) Giving away books devalues our work and should never be done. Many of these authors also frown on 99 cent sales.

2) Offering a book for free is a tool that can be used to introduce new readers to our writing and increase sales of our other books. These folks are usually divided into the perma-free and short term free categories.

3) Free no longer works because the market is glutted with free books. 99 cent sales are more effective.

So, here's my take on the subject. First of all, for me, writing is a business. My goal is to sell books, and noble ideals have nothing to do with it. Sure, I'm all about turning out the best product possible, but when it comes to promotion, I care about what actually works. So, camp #1, while I completely agree with the premise that our writing is valuable and should be rewarded as such, I'm not a big fan of putting conviction before sales. And since this is a free market society, and there are plenty of authors out there willing to give away their books, chances are moral conviction isn't going to lead to sales.

Now, the logic behind camp #2 is sound. I was all for giving away a book for free for a limited period to generate interest, but this was way back in the spring and summer of 2013. This strategy actually worked very well three years ago. But there were key elements to its success. First off, the free book had to be part of a series. The second and third books in the same series far outperformed my other back list books in residual sales. Also, interestingly enough, once the free week ended, the first book also sold very well for the same period of time as the others--usually about a month before they all started to fall off the radar. So, while I gave away over 20,000 downloads during the two week-long free periods, I sold around 900 books as a result. However, as 2013 drew to a close, these free weeks stopped performing. I had fewer free downloads and was lucky to net 100 sales as a result. It was all downhill after that. So, being a reasonably intelligent businesswoman, I quit offering my books for free since I've never been one to beat a dead horse! (Sorry about the cliche.)

Which leads to camp #3. This is the one I'm currently in, although I could change strategies if I see a benefit in the future. There are so many free books out there that people download them by the thousands and never read the vast majority. Having your book sit unread on someone's kindle isn't going to help you increase sales of your other books. Ergo, no benefit to you, the author! However, for thrifty people who troll the free and discounted books, I firmly believe if they even pay as little as 99 cents, they're far more likely to read the book simply because they paid for it. I know I would be... So, I think 99 cent sales for a book in a series will indeed net sales for your other books at full price if your sale book is strong enough to make the reader want to pick up the next one in the series. When it comes right down to it, no amount of promo will work if you don't have a great product.

However, there's a catch to this strategy. And it's a big one. Your 99 cent book has to get noticed, and that's damn hard in the current market glutted with free and discounted books. When left to my own devices, I see a little movement simply from posting about the sale on Facebook and Twitter, but we're talking a sale or two a day. The only thing that has actual worked for me to get big numbers (we're talking top #100 overall on Amazon numbers) is BookBub. I swear it's like magic, but it costs a LOT of money, and getting a deal with them is no easy task. I've been lucky in that my publisher has set up ads with them and paid for it. And why not, since when they do, I generate far more dollars in sales for them over the next month or two than the ad costs. Also, my overall sales have been on a steady rise as a result. Not spectacular, mind you, but better than they used to be. Part of that is due to having a pretty extensive back list at this point. Last month, my publisher got one of my books featured on Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals. For one day only, my book was 99 cents, and I topped out on their rankings at about #140 overall. Even though the book went right back to $3.99 the next day, residual sales for the whole series lasted a couple of weeks. So, Kindle Daily Deals is another promo option that actually works, but I have no idea how you get listed on your own or what it costs. It might be worth some research to find out, though.

So, let's hear your thoughts on Free vs. 99 cents? What camp are you in?

And as a side note, EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES, my first book in the Who's Watching Now series is currently 99 cents and will be all month. I have a BookBub deal scheduled for June 20th, so it will be interesting to see what transpires... Buy it HERE, or check out my other books on my WEBSITE.

Photo Op! Emerald Bay by Jannine Gallant

I've had a busy weekend and was scrambling to put together my blog post by Sunday night. On Friday, my youngest, Kristen (a high school junior) and I spent the day driving all over Northern California to look at colleges. Okay, maybe it just seemed like all over... We checked out Sonoma State in the wine country then stopped at UC Davis (my alma mater) on the way home. Both beautiful schools, but it was a looooong day. On Saturday, a group of Austrian exchange students arrived for a week long stay in Tahoe. We're keeping two girls for the whole week but had two extras Saturday night since their host family wasn't home from spring break yet. This is the second time we've hosted Austrian students, and it's always fun for our kids to learn a little about a different culture.

Sunday morning a group of us took some of the kids down to Emerald Bay for a hike. Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed spots in America. A real "gem" on the south-west corner of Lake Tahoe. I've used the Tahoe area as a setting for a few of my books and mentioned Emerald Bay in a couple of them. Take a look at the photos, and you be the judge. When it comes to sheer natural beauty, our little corner of the world is hard to beat!

Austrian exchange students with a few of our kids. Kristen is front row in the blue windbreaker.

Emerald Bay from the top of the hike down. Fannette Island is in the middle.

Beach at Emerald Bay.

A goose who thought I was going to feed him. Didn't happen!

Vikingsholm, a small Scandinavian castle built just behind the beach at Emerald Bay in 1929.

Cascade Creek feeds into the lake at Emerald Bay.

I hope my pictures have brightened your Monday morning! If you want to "experience" Lake Tahoe in my books, check out Every Move She Makes and Road To Serendipity. Or visit my Website for info on all my books. Have a great week!

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!

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!

Curl up with a Book and Homemade Soup! by Jannine Gallant

November is that in-between time of year. Fall may not be technically over, but the leaves are mostly gone, and the trees wave bare branches against a sky that turns dark all too early each evening. Winter is on the horizon, but the ground remains bare of snow. Still, days are chilly, and nights are downright cold. November is a great time to curl up by a warm fire and read a good book...or eat...or both! Comfort food is just the ticket for these late fall days. And nothing says comfort like a steaming bowl of soup and a hot sandwich. Yum!

So, put down that book (hopefully one of mine!) and make yourself a pot of soup. This is an easy recipe guaranteed to please. My girls love it.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 tsp canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth (I use the less sodium kind)

1 bunch of broccoli, large stems removed and chopped into small pieces

2 1/2 cups reduced fat (or fat free) milk

1/3 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Heat non-stick pot and add oil. Sauté onion and garlic for 4 min. or until soft. Add broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 min. or until broccoli softens. Mash with potato masher until broccoli is only slightly chunky.

Combine milk and flour with a whisk until blended. Add to broccoli mixture and cook 5 min. until thickened, stirring frequently. Add seasonings and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Yields 4 generous servings.

I like to serve this with sandwiches for an easy dinner. Philly Cheese Steak or Grilled Ham, Cheese and Tomato are great choices. Enjoy!

Oh, if you're looking for something to read by that fire, pick up a copy of one of my romantic suspense books, guaranteed to keep you turning the pages long after the soup is gone. Buy links and blurbs can be found 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.

Stop and Smell the Flowers by Jannine Gallant

My advice to you as we roll into summer ~ Life is short, take the time to enjoy it!

Tara and Kristen

Why am I feeling so profound, you might ask? My oldest just graduated from high school. Geez, wasn't she just a baby the last time I turned around? Time really does fly by--even more so when you're busy. This last week was packed full of events starting with a graduation beach party with Tara's friends, rolling into awards night, the senior breakfast, graduation, and concluding with a family dinner for the relatives. I had to make a conscious effort to simply relax and enjoy each event instead of thinking about what I needed to do to prepare for the next one!

Proud mom and dad with the graduate!

Writing is similar these days. I seem to meet myself coming and going. I'm still trying to promote the first book in my Who's Watching Now series that came out a couple of months ago while preparing promo posts for the second book due out in July. In the back of my mind is the knowledge that the edits for the third book will be rolling in any day now. On top of that is a decision to make about my new series, Born To Be Wilde. I've had an offer and am waiting to see if any other pubs who have the full manuscript will counter. (Doubtful but a girl can dream, right?) The first book in the series is complete. The second is two-thirds written. Then there are books 3 and 4 still to write. This will mean meeting deadlines... I'll share more once a decision is made and a contract signed. What I really want to do is just sit back and enjoy writing. This is supposed to be fun, right? So, I'm trying hard not to stress and to do just that!

Every Move She Makes is about to get a big boost. It's supposed to be on BookBub tomorrow. I'm holding my breath, waiting to see what happens. Kensington left it on sale until after the BookBub appearance, so your chance to buy it at 99 cents is just about over. So, kick back and smell the flowers with a good book. Mine or someone else's, but stop for a minute and simply enjoy life!

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Kobo

Spring in the Woods by Jannine Gallant

My favorite part of the day is walking in the woods with Ginger. Right now, the wildflowers are beginning to bloom. After a winter of no snow in Tahoe, they're out early and probably won't last long, but I'm enjoying them while they're here. I hope you will, too!

This purple ground cover is super pretty, and grows like crazy. I'd love to transfer it to my yard, but I'm not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination!

More snow plants than I've ever seen before this year. Not sure why since we didn't have much snow. This one's a king-daddy, though it's hard to tell how big it is from the picture.

The lupine are just beginning to bloom.

Someone told me these bushes are service berries. They flower in white masses. Super pretty!

I'm not sure what these are. They look like big daisies. But I thought this was a neat photo.

Okay, not a flower. This little guy visited me at the boat ramp the other morning when I was working. Couldn't resist sharing him!

Ginger trying to cross the creek without getting her paws wet at the end of our walk. She fell in. Really funny, but I missed the shot!

This is the final week Every Move She Makes will be on sale for 99 cents. A lot of the action happens in the woods around Lake Tahoe. My characters also enjoy this wild scenery. You can purchase your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

I also updated my website. Tell me what you think!

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.

Does Your Book Write Itself? by Jannine Gallant

From the title of my post, I bet you thought I was going to talk about perseverance and keeping your butt in your chair and your fingers on the keyboard... All very true and something we need to hear now and then, but not today's topic.

I'm afraid I'm becoming more and more of a panster. My outlines (now only written in my head) are getting thinner and thinner. Scary. Very scary. I like knowing where I'm headed. I've always liked having an outline to refer to when my fingers hover over the keyboard, not sure what to type next. But after writing over a dozen books, I have the basic format nailed and no longer want to waste what little spare time I have on outlines. So, I'm winging it.

Here's an example of my current (in my head until now) WIP outline:

Part One: Rafting trip where characters are introduced and suspicious incidents start happening. Three suspects are given opportunity. Hero and heroine form a bond but both know a serious relationship isn't in the works due to their differences.

Part Two: Hero and heroine go their separate ways. Heroine pulls back, and hero throws up his hands in disgust at her unwillingness to try.

Part Three: H & H are forced back together on their way to an engagement party of mutual friends/family. Plane crashes as a result of the bad guy up to no good again. (Main suspect is eliminated.) The attraction as they battle through the wilderness is back in full force.

Part Four: At the party, the bad guy is finally revealed after the heroine is put in danger. Wrap up the romance.

Uh, even I will admit this is pretty sketchy. Especially the ending that is still extremely hazy in my cluttered little brain. So, part one is written and didn't turn out half bad, if I do say so myself! On to part two, except as I started writing the scene where the H & H go their separate ways, the hero invited himself home with the heroine. Not just to her apartment in Washington DC, to her parents' home in Vermont! WTH! That wasn't supposed to happen! Except I couldn't stop my fingers from tapping out this new twist. Uh, let's hope they know where this is going since I don't have a clue. My characters are now in charge, writing their own story.

Does this happen to you? Do your characters stage a rebellion and take over your story, dragging you along for the ride? Have I lost my mind because I'm allowing this uprising to take place? Hey, at least now I'm excited to write the story since I'm dying to see what happens next. So, one positive note to being a panster is it keeps you motivated to write...even if it is morbid curiosity driving you!

And now for a bit of promo... EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES is on sale this month for only 99 CENTS. Grab a copy and read it while it's such a bargain. I estimate you'll have time to push it to the top of your TBR pile and finished reading it just in time to pick up the second book in the series, out the beginning of July. I bet you didn't know this was your new reading plan for this spring, but since it seems like such a good one, I encourage you to be a panster and go for it! LOL

Buy it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or iTunes.

Find out more about my books on my Website.