A Patchwork Summer and a Re-release by Alison Henderson

This summer has been a patchwork affair for me. Since Undercover Nanny released Memorial Day weekend, I haven't written a single new word. I have, however, flown to Chicago twice to help my daughter house-hunt and then work on her new place once she bought it. I stayed for a week, toting, scrubbing, buying, etc. before flying home. OG, bless him, stayed for a second week. He replaced all the outlets and switches, installed a new kitchen faucet and garbage disposal, rehabbed a gigantic pair of old bookcases, and painted, painted, painted. 

AND we're going back in a couple of months to try to finish everything he didn't manage to accomplish on the last visit. He may never be the same, but by golly, his baby is going to live in a palace!

I have spent a little time mulling over the first book in my next series, and made a few preliminary decisions, but most of my spare time has been devoted to re-editing and formatting my first three books in preparation for re-launching them.

I first started writing Harvest of Dreams and A Man Like That in the early 'nineties, when Western historical and prairie romance were going strong. The popularity of those genres has waned, but these stories remained close to my heart. The books had long since stopped selling with the original small press, but with what I've learned in five years as an indie author, I hoped I could bring them to a new set of readers. As I worked my way through the re-edits, I was thrilled to discover I love the characters and stories just as much as when I first wrote them.

I'm delighted to announce I re-released the first book, Harvest of Dreams, last Friday! As of Monday afternoon, I'd had two sales and four KU downloads with complete reads. That's more people reading this book than during the entire past couple of years, so I'm happy. This book is more serious, more emotional, more romantic, and sexier than anything I've written recently, but I hope it will strike a chord with readers who are looking for that type of read. 

Here's the blurb:

Alone on her farm in the middle of a blizzard, young widow Lisa McAllister labors to give birth to her first child.  Help arrives in the strong hands of a stranger wearing a six-gun.  Lisa has no reason to trust this man who makes a living by violence, even if he is on the right side of the law.  Men and their guns have already claimed the lives of her father, brother, and husband, and she’s determined to protect her son at any cost. 

Jared Tanner, a security agent for the stagecoach, has been on his own since he was twelve.  Against his better judgment, his feelings of protectiveness toward Lisa and her baby turn to something deeper, and he is tempted by the possibility of a family of his own. Can their tender new love survive when an act of ultimate violence threatens to tear them apart?

I'm half-way through the re-edits of A Man Like That, so if I keep my nose to the grindstone, I might be able to get it out there by the weekend. Wish me luck!

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

New Life in Old Books? by Alison Henderson

I've just sent a request to the publisher of my first three books, requesting reversion of my rights. They're lovely people, and I'll always be grateful for the first magical contract that set me on the road to being a published author. I learned a great deal about writing and the publishing business, but it's time to say goodbye. It's probably costing the publisher more to keep theses titles on their records than they're making in profit.

The books are classic, old-school, historical Americana romances--a sub-genre I no longer write--and haven't sold many copies in the last few years. The publisher never did any real promotion or marketing, and I haven't paid any attention to them since I switched writing gears. I've focused my efforts on my humorous romantic suspense novels instead.

However, I think there may be life left in these earlier titles. I've recently finished editing and formatting the first book, Harvest of Dreams, and was thrilled to discover it was in pretty good shape. Better yet, I loved it! The only real editing I did was to tone down the love scenes a a bit. They're still much spicier than what I write now, but they fit the characters and story, so they're staying. I hope to find the second book, A Man Like That, in similar condition. The third book is a cute, short novella that should require very little work.

The main upside to owning the rights, besides retaining the lion's share of the royalties, is the ability to advertise with AMS, offer occasional free promotions, etc. I believe there is still an audience for Western historical romance, albeit a smaller one than for other sub-genres. All I have to do is figure out which authors are popular and target my ads to their readers. With luck, I'll sell a few copies from time to time.

After finishing the formatting, I took a little time to design new covers. I wanted them to be eye-catching but resemble the original covers closely enough not to confuse readers into thinking they're new releases. (I'll also make it clear they're re-releases on the copyright page and in the book description.) Since the sub-genre was never particularly clear, I decided to add the text "Historical Romance from the Heartland" to the covers. It will also appear on the Amazon page as the series title.

What do you think?


Look for them sometime later this summer!

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com 

Amazon Encore!

I'm happy to announce that two of my titles from The Wild Rose Press, Alaska Heart and Firefly Mountain, have been republished by Amazon Encore. This program seeks to get previously published books by "emerging authors" in front of readers with a magical Amazon push. I'm excited about the possibilities.

And about being called an "emerging author."

Firefly Mountain re-release date was August 25th.
Alaska Heart re-release date was September 1st.

Both are now available for download. Read more about Amazon Encore here.

Firefly Mountain

Firefighter Patrick Barre is determined to hide away in the woods of Vermont. He's content to do his job, remodel his house, and enjoy the company of his arson-detection dog, Midas. Scars from the fire that destroyed his family keep him from letting anyone into his life.

Gini Claremont uses her camera to celebrate the beauty of life. Nature soothes her, while anger is dangerous for Gini--and anyone near her. If she doesn't guard her emotions, her surroundings could go up in flames. Living alone, keeping busy, and letting her family keep watch on her is best for everyone.

When an arsonist declares war on their town, Patrick and Gini reluctantly band together to sift through the ashes, each holding a secret close to the heart. As the arson escalates, so does their mutual attraction. Will teaming up put out the fires, or start a whole new one?

Alaska Heart

Alaska is supposed to be cold, so why is Alanna Cormac on fire? 

Sent on a dream assignment to Denali National Park, nature magazine writer Alanna Cormac has no intentions of falling in love with Dale Ramsden, sexy Iditarod winner. When Dale, his family, and even his eighteen sled dogs charm their way into her heart, however, Alanna’s fast-track New York instincts crumble. The Alaskan landscape and the caress of a man too good to be true ignite feelings she never had time to explore before. Feelings that have her so blissfully busy she’s unaware she’s being watched. Judged. Targeted. 

She’s next.

Love will either save her or swallow her whole. Is there a difference?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series – Books One to Four now available – More Than Pancakes, Book One is always FREE!

More Than Candy Corn – A Maple Leaf Series Halloween Novella, coming October!