Checking in with a writing update

Back from wedding weekend! (Congrats to my niece Ashley and new nephew Bill! <3 Beautiful wedding! I cried; I laughed; I danced. Perfect. :) )

Mornings are my best time to write, so I've been back at writing this morning, listening to some inspirational theme music from Outlander (the beautiful soundtrack to the TV series)... And taking a quick break to check in here with an update.

Image Credit: Max Cornelius - Rocky Mountains | Wikimedia Commons

The two works-in-progress have been switching back and forth on me, demanding my attention. I don't ever plan to work on more than one thing at once (and rarely work on more than one thing within the same day), but overlapping projects continue to happen with astonishing regularity. Such is the path of the creative mind. At least mine!

So, in the works are: The Bartered Bride (aka BB, book 2 in my Brides series) and The Cross Creek Bride (aka CCB, a standalone novel in the Brides world). CCB was meant to be a short story for my mom's birthday. Only it keeps growing. And Mom's birthday flew by back in May. She says she's okay with that. Phew! Thank goodness. smile emoticon She's very accepting that it will be done when it's done. I appreciate that.

BB is currently at 55,662 words an CCB is at 54,869 words. (50,000 words is roughly 200 pages in paperback format.) So, as far as current word count goes, they're neck and neck. I anticipate BB will be a much longer book, however.

"When will they be done?"

For those waiting for The Bartered Bride, please know I'm waiting for it too! But it is coming along so nicely, I promise. I love this book! I just love Annie and Jem, and I hope you will loved them too.

For those young adult fans waiting for Haunting Melody (the sequel to Haunting Joy), please know that I haven't forgotten. Several deaths in the family made that particular book too difficult and painful to write, for a time. I hope to return to it as soon as I can, however. Meanwhile, all I can do is trust the process. Please bear with me on this journey? Writers are human beings, with feelings and life happenings. And...well, some stories are just touch on more sensitive ground than others, which can impact the ability to "go there" emotionally, and occupy the vulnerable place that's necessary to live in and breathe in for extended periods in order to write.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer!
Lena

New Release & Giveaway!

Just a quick reminder about my new holiday short story, Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe: A Short Story and the Giveaway! Ends soon, so enter now. :)

Available now on Kindle for $0.99
(Free with Kindle Unlimited)

What's a wife to do when her Christmas plans fall apart?

Join Becky and Isaac from [book:The Unexpected Bride|23110302] in a romantic short story complete with sleigh bells, mistletoe, and sweet holiday surprises.

It's Christmas Eve, and smoke isn't just rising from the chimney--it's pouring from the stove due to yet another batch of burnt biscuits. Becky wants everything to be perfect for her family, but a ruined meal spells disaster for all her high hopes. Will the night end in despair...or with a happy Christmas dream?

Reconnect with your favorite characters from Book 1 of "The Brides" series and learn more about Jem (the hero of Book 2) in Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe. Includes an excerpt from Book 2, The Bartered Bride.

A SHORT STORY in The Brides Series
Sweet Historical Romance

Giveaway

Deck the halls and bring on the books! One winner will receive mistletoe earrings from the LuvlyMint Etsy shop, as well as a signed paperback copy of The Unexpected Bride, Book 1 in “The Brides” series. This prize is only available to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Three runners-up (can be international) will receive one e-copy each of Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy New Year!

SLEIGH BELLS & MISTLETOE: New Release, Cover Reveal, and #Giveaway!

The Brides Series Continues!

SLEIGH BELLS & MISTLETOE

A SHORT STORY in The Brides Series

What's a wife to do when her Christmas plans fall apart?

Join Becky and Isaac from The Unexpected Bride in a romantic short story complete with sleigh bells, mistletoe, and sweet holiday surprises.

It's Christmas Eve, and smoke isn't just rising from the chimney--it's pouring from the stove due to yet another batch of burnt biscuits. Becky wants everything to be perfect for her family, but a ruined meal spells disaster for all her high hopes. Will the night end in despair...or with a happy Christmas dream?

Reconnect with your favorite characters from Book 1 of "The Brides" series and learn more about Jem (the hero of Book 2) in Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe. Includes an excerpt from Book 2, The Bartered Bride.

SLEIGH BELLS & MISTLETOE: A Short Story (The Brides Series 1.5)
Sweet Historical Western Romance A Mail-Order Bride Short Story

A Kindle Exclusive
Get copy of Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe: A Short Story (The Brides Series 1.5) for only $0.99!

Giveaway

Deck the halls and bring on the books! One winner will receive mistletoe earrings from the LuvlyMint Etsy shop, as well as a signed paperback copy of The Unexpected Bride, Book 1 in “The Brides” series. This prize is only available to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Three runners-up (can be international) will receive one e-copy each of Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


There's also a mini tour for this story going on today -- an announcement of the short story and…a cover reveal for Book 2 in the series!!! -- so please visit all the awesome bloggers who are participating:

Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot 
Blooming with Books
Buzzing About Books
Inklings and Notions
My Favorite Pastime 
The Curried Nut
The Wonderings of One Person
Thilly Little Nothings 
To Be A Person 
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

HAUNTING JOY Now Available in Audiobook!

Here's a little news for young adult fans...

HAUNTING JOY

Now Available in Audiobook!
Narrated by the amazing Stephanie Ballard

So excited! Squee!!!!!!!!

Check out the new audiobook cover, with a smerge/mash-up of Haunting Joy and Chain Reaction covers. What do you think? I kind of love it...

Haunting Joy Audiobook Cover

Joy's new dress has a secret - one with a little supernatural history, one that's a little more than she expected.

It all starts one ordinary afternoon, as 17-year-old Joy tries on some thrift-store clothes her grandmother gave her. The little white dress fits perfectly. Trouble is, now it won't leave her alone. Soon Joy is swept up in an extraordinary journey to help a ghost complete some unfinished business.

If only that didn't involve Joy driving through dangerous intersections... Or calling up her high-school crush Nick... Or getting stuck at a cemetery after dark.

Will Joy accept this ghostly challenge to be "more"? And just how far will she go to uncover the truth?

"I never believed in ghosts... Until it happened to me."


Now Available on Amazon | Audible | iTunes
Learn how to get this Free (Audible Free Trial)

Reviews

"Lena Goldfinch has penned a sweet, creative,

mystical journey of self-discovery…"

~MARLEY GIBSON, bestselling author of the

Ghost Huntress series

"A sweet and charming ghost story

that completely won me over." 

~LENA COAKLEY, Witchlanders

"A touchingly high-spirited and

thoroughly entertaining journey

of discovering who we really are…"

~The Wonderings of One Person