So many things to tell you!

First…. I typed The End on my June 2022 Harlequin Intrigue release FOOTHILLS FIELD SEARCH! I’m super-excited about this one because it’s a part (book #3) of a multi-author series called K-9s On Patrol.

I got to write about a yellow Labrador retriever named Winnie, who is a trained search & rescue dog.

As you can see, my black lab, Sally, is trained mainly in kitchen search and scarf, but she’s pleased that I was able to help rep the breed.

Sally in her natural habitat

Then, we had to offload this one this weekend. I mean, the maintenance and upkeep alone…

Our daughter’s wedding!

And finally… Harry will be released into the wild tomorrow!

TRIAL IN THE BACKWOODS – the third installment in my Raising the Bar Brief series from Harlequin Intrigue hits the shelves 9/28/21! Look for Harry and Alicia at a bookstore, Walmart, Meijer, or other mass merchandiser near you!

Whew! I don’t know about you, but I need a nap. Is it October yet?

I’m so excited!

You guys… I read a news story the other day that fit the series I just signed on to do with Harlequin Intrigue so perfectly I literally made this face:

It’s one of those cases so wild it’s hard to believe it’s true. I have a whole squad of hamsters running in their wheels!

Happy things

Do you track the little things that make you happy? If you follow me on Facebook or have seen my newsletter, you might have seen me post my #happythings lists. They’re pretty simple. Every day, I pick at least one thing (usually food-related) that made me happy that day. I know that (like me) many of us are cutting back on social media, so I thought I’d share a few happy things here.

I have more Intrigues coming! I’ll have one in June 2022, and another series of three coming late 2022 or early 2023.

My latest – FOR THE DEFENSE – is available everywhere! Show me your “spotted in the wild” pictures!

Me in Walmart with my latest release
Don’t worry, I bought the copy I touched, signed it, and gave it to the cashier.

TRIAL IN THE BACKWOODS is coming out at the end of this month. Its release will mark my 10th book with Harlequin!

But usually, my happy things are not a big deal. Some days, I have to scrounge for them. Other days, I have to take something negative and find the silver lining.

We’re all struggling. We’re all tired. You are not alone. Neither am I.

I hope you can find a way to celebrate the happy things in your life. Wanna copy off my paper? Go ahead, I won’t tell Sister Elizabeth. Here are my #happythings from August 2021.

  1. The gathering of energy pennies like Scrooge McDuck. 🪙💰
  2. Bob Jog 5k with Kelli. 🏅
  3. A good/productive afternoon for the Ethridge men.
  4. Sally made me nap. 😴
  5. Brainstorm 🌩 with Katie and Kristina.
  6. Ted Lasso – the best part of any Friday.
  7. 7k words today!
  8. Hit the 50k mark! Over 10k this weekend. Closing in on the finish line.
  9. Spotted in the wild with my Canucks and Aussies!
  10. Deal announcement. 📢
  11. Playing with me plot bunny. 🐰
  12. Baked sugar cookies for my sweet sugar babies.
  13. My boys!
  14. A fun evening of Ethridge mayhem.
  15. Rumpus nap with Sally. 😴
  16. Thankful I am vaccinated, praying my family comes through this well.
  17. “I’m sorry to inform you that you have earthworms.”
  18. Two negatives and mild positives. Chat with my Cabinet. 💻
  19. Officially cleared to live in our bubble again. Chat with the ISU OG.
  20. Ted Lasso is like a rainbow 🌈!
  21. Trader Joe’s sea salt dark chocolate caramels.
  22. Great chat with the ladies from Categorically Romance podcast! 🎙
  23. A good BFA call with Jess and crew.
  24. Release day! Walmart, Luigi’s, and Small Cakes. 🧁
  25. MasterChef and reader recovery programs.
  26. “Sorry I touched your label maker area.”
  27. Leftovers feasts and big fires 🔥
  28. College football makes revisions more bearable.
  29. Butter roll. 🥮
  30. Celebrating Luluday with microwavable cups of Steak ‘n Shake chili. As one does.
  31. Got fresh with Bill over dinner. I had him at Hello Fresh. 🍋

Look out, September, I’m coming for you!

xoxo Mags

Busy, busy, busy!

As I write this I’m getting ready to do an interview for a podcast. It also just occurred to me a couple of days ago that book #2 in the Raising the Bar Briefs series, FOR THE DEFENSE will release on Tuesday. Oh, and did I mention that I’m trying to finish drafting a book that will release next summer?

So what have I been doing? If you said hanging out with Fodder, napping with the beasts, watching Ted Lasso, you’d be right! Or, should I say, spot on!

Ted Lasso pointing the affirmative

But I have been working here and there. This is part of my new process. I know that the work will get done, and I’m not stressing about it.

So let me remind you of this. If you want a paperback copy of AN ABSENCE OF MOTIVE (Book 1), today is the last day to buy one in stores. Tomorrow, they will switch out the stock. Of course, ebooks will be available in perpetuity and you can order paperbacks through Harlequin.com.

In case you missed it, I chatted with Renee from the kt literary podcast recently and had a new book deal announced. Yay!

So, yeah, that’s where I’m at. I need to go get ready to try to string coherent words together. Wish me luck!

Back to blogging

I’m coming back to the blog.

Why? I miss it. I miss the interaction I get to have with people here, even if it’s only a few.

Aren’t blogs kind of, you know, dead? I don’t care. I’m tired of chasing trends, disenchanted with social media, and want something more personal than my newsletter.

Will you still send newsletters? Of course! But there will be a little more of me in the posts here.

How often will you post? I’m not sure. I think not weekly, but maybe a couple of times a month.

About what? General babbling. Life, writing, books, anything, and everything.

Is anyone still out there in the blog-o-sphere?

Monday Mayhem – It’s been a while

Hello friends. How are you? Hanging in there?

Like everyone else, I’m trying to roll with the punches, but oy! They keep coming, don’t they?

Just wanted to do a quick post to say hello, and check in. I’ve been hard at work on my series for Harlequin Intrigue. You can expect to see, AN THE ABSENCE OF MOTIVE – the first book in the Raising the Bar Briefs series in August 2021.

Book 2 – FOR THE DEFENSE will release in September.

Book 3 – BENCH TRIAL IN THE BACKWOODS will be out in October.

Raising the Bar Briefs coming soon!

Whoo hoo! That’s some good news, right?

In other news – SEDUCING STEVE is on sale for only 99¢/99p! Tell all your friends!

That’s the news I have for now. I know we’re off to a crazy start already, but please know I wish you all health and happiness in 2021!

XOXO

Mags

You guys!!!!!

So this little bit of news dropped in Publishers Marketplace today:

Women’s/Romance
Maggie Wells’s Pine Woods trilogy, about local law enforcement, prosecutors, lawyers, and DEA agents who combat drug trade in small-town Southern USA, to Denise Zaza at Harlequin Intrigue, in a three-book deal, for publication in September 2021, by Sara Megibow at kt literary.

That’s right, I’m diving into the world of romantic suspense! I’m thrilled and terrified, and so very grateful to have you all along for this ride. Buckle up!

Couple on roller coaster

Cover reveal

I did a cover reveal for my upcoming release. Did you see it? If not, it’s because you are not in my reader group. Why aren’t you in my reader group? I only send newsletters once or twice a month, and there’s usually a giveaway.

I’m ponying up a gift card in the one that just went out. Ten whole American dollars to spend at Amazon.

Definitely worth one more addition to your inbox, don’t you think? If you haven’t signed up, you can do so by entering your email address into the sidebar and I’ll catch you next time.

If you did receive my email and have not opened/responded, why not? Don’t you like free money? You can buy books with that, ya know… 😉

Anyhoo…

I hope you are well. I pray your families are healthy and you are finding ways to cope with the turbulence in our world.

Last weekend, I spent a good deal of time trying to look forward. Sunny days are coming. Flowers will bloom. We’ll feel hopeful again. I’m so convinced that we will, that I have a new book that will make it’s way into the world this spring, so how about that cover reveal?

Wanna see the art for TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE?  

TMYFML ebook cover

This time I decided to do something a little different and use two different images from the same session for the ebook and print editions.

TMYFML print wrap

So there you have it. I hope you like them.

Brittany Owens is a young woman on the brink. As Brit’s career soars past up-and-coming and hurtles toward the stratosphere, she feels like she doesn’t have any control over its trajectory. Her grandfather is country music royalty. Her momager is determined to get Brit to the top at all costs. And then, there is the man she fell for when she was far too young to know any better.

Cash Dorsett once had stardom within his grasp. But the excesses that come with a life in the spotlight had him landing flat on his face when he reached for the success he craved. Clean and sober now, he doesn’t let himself think about the blue-eyed girl he left in the wreckage of his career. Much.

A chance encounter leads to an intense collaboration. But can Brit and Cash find a way to make beautiful music together without allowing her rising star to burn their love to the ground?

To Make You Feel My Love will be live on May 14, 2020!

In the meantime, be well, be safe, and be kind to one another.

xoxo Mags

Monday Mayhem – It’s a kind of magic

I have a new project running around in my head. I don’t want to talk about it too much, because I’m not quite to the point of writing it. What if the kind of magic I have in my head doesn’t translate to the page? But I am excited about it. I’m just… waiting for that magic moment when I feel ready to start spinning the tale. Maybe this guy can help:

Illustration of an old wizard holding a book and a wand

In the meantime, work is coming along on TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE. No release date set yet, but we’re well into editorial and I have cover art, and I love it. Here’s a little hint of what’s to come. Reveal to come as soon as I set a release date. In the meantime, I’ve got plenty to keep you occupied on the My Books page.

TMYFML cover reveal teaser

Spring has come to Central Arkansas. Thank goodness. As much as I love and miss my friends and family up north, I do not miss the winters. There’s a fresh-cut hyacinth in my bud vase. Last week, Fodder clipped these beauties and brought a little sunshine into the house. We’re supposed to be entering into a rainy stretch over the next 10 days, so Sally and I sat outside soaking up the vitamin D over the weekend. Hopefully, the rain will help keep the green pollen monster at bay.

daffodils

Speaking of Spring…I will be attending the Chicago North Spring Fling in Chicago again this year. There’s a multi-author book signing scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2020. If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to mark your calendar!

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

Monday Mayhem – Back in the Saddle

I’m back in the saddle again!

Okay, maybe not actually IN the saddle. I’ve never ridden a horse. In truth, I’m a little afraid to get up close and personal with them, though I love them from afar. We have a number of miniature horses in the area and I check on them constantly…from my car. I love them and worry about them on days I don’t catch a glimpse.

Anyhoo, I digress. But that’s okay, because it’s November and in November digression is not only allowed, but encouraged. That’s right folks, it’s time for NaNoWriMo.

  • This is my 10th go at the 50,000 words in 30 days challenge.
  • I’ve managed to win bragging rights 9 times.
  • 8 of those manuscripts started during NaNoWriMo have been published.
  • 1 was shelved* even though I made it 67k words in. I couldn’t go on with that one because I just couldn’t get it to be what I wanted it to be. Maybe one day….

My NaNo projects have been:

  • Contentment – 2009
  • Commitment – 2010
  • Inamorata – 2011
  • Hot Nights in St. Blaise – 2012
  • Containment – 2013*
  • A Will and a Way – 2014
  • Love and Rockets – 2015
  • Easy Bake Lovin’ – 2016
  • Double Play – 2017

So you see why I need to round it out, right? 10 years, 10 wins.

Plus, I need the challenge. It’s been an okay writing year in terms of production, but not a great one. I’d like to finish strong.

I’m on track so far and will keep plugging away at it. Wish me luck!

Thank you to all who helped make the launch of DOUBLE PLAY such a success.

I appreciate your support and hope you are enjoying Avery and Dom’s story!

If you haven’t grabbed your copy, here are some handy-dandy links!

Amazon ~ Apple ~ Google PlayB&N ~ Kobo~ Audible