It’s Thursday. One more work day and then the weekend. Woot!
But, work isn’t always bad. One of the best parts of running this website is meeting wonderful authors like Ali Spooner. Her guest post struck a cord with me, because a health scare spurred me to chase my writing dream. Please take a moment to read Ali’s post.
And, she’s offering a free copy of her latest The Bee Charmer to one lucky winner. More details are below.
Take it away, Ali Spooner.
I’ll proudly admit that I’m an avid country music fan, and lyrics often spur a story, plot, or character name that I use in my writing. Today as I traveled, I heard Old Dominion’s, song ‘No Such Thing As a Broken Heart’, that has a line, which I used as the title to this post to describe my thoughts of being a published author. On August 14th, 2017, I released my 17th story with Affinity Rainbow Publications, The Bee Charmer.
Becoming published has been a lot of hard work, and I’ve been very fortunate to work with a team of readers, editors and publishers who’ve patiently helped me grow as a storyteller and writer.
In 2010, after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, I knew that it was time to pursue my dream of becoming a professionally published author. Writing until this point had been a hobby, and my dream of publishing a lesbian based story came true in January of 2014 when I began my association with Affinity Publications and released Bailey’s Run.
Three years and 16 titles later, I still enjoy achieving the dream with every new release. I’ve been fortunate to be successful and build a loyal fan base, enabling sales to grow every year, but it’s never been about the money for me. The royalties I’ve collected have allowed me to travel to conferences and book events to network with fellow authors and meet some fantastic readers, but my reality is that they won’t be enough to replace my salary from my full time job. And, I am totally okay with that. My joy and reward is hearing from a reader how much they enjoyed a book that touched them in some way, and that they look forward to the next book.
I’ve had the opportunity to publish in a variety of genres, and not placed in a box. As any publisher will tell you, Romance is queen in Lesfic, and it’s the best-selling genre. I’ve written a few contemporary romances, but I’ve also written paranormal stories, cowgirls, and law enforcement adventures. I like to think that I create stories with characters we can connect with, that are every day, hardworking people most women can relate. Drama or angst is necessary to a certain extent, but I believe we have more than our share of that in reality, and try to share stories that will leave a reader feeling good, with maybe something new learned about a variety of topics, and often with a new recipe or food interest.
For the faithful readers who have allowed me to chase my dream, provided great feedback, and encouragement, I thank you. For those individuals who have characters and stories buzzing in your heads, I encourage you to chase your own dreams and write!
THE BEE CHARMER
After the death of father, Nat St. Croix needs to decide on which direction her life should take. Does she continue her life as a trapper and trader alone, or does she start over try and try to fit into a town surrounded by strangers? When she arrives in Seattle to trade her furs, a young widow, Marissa, catches Nat’s attention. Can Marissa be the chance of having the best of both worlds? Will the call of the wild and all that is familiar or, will the call of love capture Nat’s heart?
Affinity / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AUS
MEET THE AUTHOR
Ali Spooner, a native of Florida, calls Pensacola her forever home. Ali has been writing for many years as a hobby, and with the assistance of the Affinity team, she has taken her love of storytelling to a new level.
Ali’s characters range from cowgirls and psychics to a healthy dose of supernatural beings. She has written stand-alone titles as well as series. Ali is an avid reader and her other hobbies include photography, outdoor activities, and watching college sports.
Now here’s your chance to win a copy of THE BEE CHARMER!
Thanks, Ali. Don’t forget to check out her latest The Bee Charmer. And, best of luck to all those who enter the giveaway.
Awesome guest blog!!!