Out With 2015, In With 2016

Since everyone else seems to be doing a look back at 2015/look forward to 2016 post, I decided to be one of the cool kids and do one too. 

2015 was an amazing year for me. Probably the best of my career so far, as an m/m romance author, and I couldn't be happier. I am so grateful for my publishers, my blogger friends, and my readers. More than I can properly express with words, and since I can never get .gifs to work for some reason, here's a photo:

2015 was a pretty busy year for me. I finally started up a newsletter (sign up link in the sidebar), opened a CafePress store (sidebar), and had five books published with two presses.

I released another complete trilogy with Carina Press this year with Restoration. I loved watching readers discover and fall in love with James, Boxer and Elliott, and their patchwork family as they each found true love in Getting It Right, Finding Their Way, and Taking A Chance. 

Full disclosure: Finding Their Way was the most frustrating book I've written so far, and it went through the biggest editing round of my life. It brought me to tears and drove me to drink, but in the end? WORTH IT. I adore this book now, and all of the stress was worthwhile in the end, because it made Boxer and Riley's journey the very best story it could be.

This year also brought you guys Tristan Lavelle. 

You first noticed him in The Truth As He Knows It back in February, when the first Perspectives book released with Samhain. And I was already hard at work giving Tristan his HEA when fans started asking when he'd get one.

During my blog tour this past fall for The World As He Sees It (Perspectives #2), I was frequently faced with the question of "how did you come up with Tristan's character?" And I never had a good answer. Tristan is one of those rare characters who blew into Noel's back story and kind of...well, he took over. He dominated every single scene he was in during TTAHKI. He broke my heart, and he kept breaking it until the final pages of TWAHSI, when I knew he and Gabe would be okay.

They'll also be back, in some form or another, because Perspectives isn't over. After all, Jon "Boomer" Buchanan is the hero of book three, and he's Gabe's best friend. Expect cameos.

I also recently found out that the first three Perspectives books will be released in audio format through Tantor books! 

2015 also brought me an amazing first: an editor at St. Martin's Press contacted me about doing a series together for their new digital-first imprint, and I swooned. I've never had an editor at a Big Five house reach out and ask to work with me! Thus, Off Beat was born, and these books will be rocking their way onto your digital readers in 2016! 

Everything about this year has given me the chance to ring in the New Year as a brand-new full-time author! Saturday is my last day as a full-time retail employee, and while it's terrifying, it's also thrilling. And I couldn't have done it without each and every reader out there who bought, reviewed, and spread the word about my books.

THANK YOU!!!!

And 2016 looks to be plenty busy with releases:

The Heart As He Hears It (Perspectives #3, Samhain) April 19, 2016
Come What May (All Saints #1, Carina Press) May 16, 2016
Body Rocks (Off Beat #1, SMP Swerve) June 2016
Fractured Hymns (Samhain) September 2016
Steady Stroke (Off Beat #2, SMP Swerve) October 2016

Say It Right (All Saints #2, Carina Press) doesn't have a release date yet, but expect it in the Fall 2016.


In the works right now:

With four contracted books due this year, I'm currently nearing completion on Steady Stroke. Then I get to jump back into my Wilmington world for Say It Right, which has about a chapter and a half finished.

I've also been blessed with an opening/story idea for the next Cole/Jeremy book, so I hope to be able to work on Discovering Me #3 sometime this winter/spring. 

I still plan on reissuing both Prodigal and Frozen, as well as a third paranormal book in that world. This is going to be fit in around other stuff, but it will happen, I promise! There will also be at least two more Perspectives books coming down the pike at some point. I finally worked one of the kinks out of the plot of #4, so that definitely helps.


Next year I also hope to read more. I didn't read nearly as many books as I wanted to this year, and my Nook is crammed full. So are my physical bookshelves. I need to tackle both.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!