Logistical Note re: Brave in Heart

The first book I published almost two years ago was a historical romance set during the American Civil War called Brave in Heart. It’s little (40Kish words) and it’s very much a first book, but I’m proud of it. Which is why I asked my publisher for my rights back. And today I got them.

What this means is that Brave in Heart will be disappearing from retailers in the next few weeks. So if you want it, you should act fast. (And it is currently in Kindle Unlimited and Scribd, FYI.) At some point I’ll produce a new cover and self-publish it. Heck, maybe I’ll even finish the sequel I teased you with at Valentine’s, but that won’t happen any time soon. I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing and the market and I need to figure some things out before I have time to focus on Brave in Heart.

So the tl;dr version: Brave in Heart is going to be off the market soon but it may return…someday.

PS The anniversary of the start of the Battle of Chancellorsville is tomorrow. Chancellorsville plays an important role in the novel. I went there, took pictures, and talked about it here.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“It’s not Valentine’s yet,” you reply.

“Yes, but tomorrow I’m headed away for a romantic weekend so I’m posting for V-Day now,” I say.

Who doesn’t like early presents?

This is not widely known but the first book I published was called Brave in Heart, a historical romance set during the American Civil War. Basically no one read it. And I can’t blame you all because beyond the setting, it’s very first-book-y. But had anyone read it, I intended for it to be the first book in a series. I had, in fact, started a sequel, which I never named, except then I started writing the book that became Special Interests and that project consumed me.

However, when I started to think about what kind of Valentine’s Day extra I could publish, I started to think about the words I’d written for the Brave in Heart sequel. Most of them aren’t great…except for these.

So if you read this, know that I don’t like the chapters I wrote after this one. And between my dissatisfaction with the rest of those chapters and a marketplace that’s not terribly interested in mid-nineteenth century American historical, I probably won’t ever finish this. But as long as we’re on the same page, this is your Valentine’s present from me: a meet-cute and a one very sexy, Creole, not-quite gentleman named August Wainwright.

Smooches~

Emma

Continue reading “Happy Valentine’s Day!” →

Winter Blahs Giveaway

Thanksgiving has barely ended, Hanukkah is just over a week away, and Christmas looms. Winter weather is sending almost everyone in the United States scurrying for our blankets and cranking up our thermostats. And I’m up to my teeth in papers to grade and dissertation defenses to prepare for (really there’s just the one).

To help with the stress and cold, I’m going to give away a digital copy of a book–specifically one copy of any book I’ve written. There’s the Civil War, second-chance-at-love angst of Brave in Heart, the cynic/idealist budget negotiation of Special Interests, the opposites attract scandal of Private Politics (which has a Jewish beta hero!), and the not-releasing for a month cross-party campaign banter of Party Lines.

The rules: you must be able to accept either an .epub or a .mobi file. And you must comment below and tell me which book you’d like. I’ll pick a winner on Friday, December 15 make that 12, at midnight EST.

ETA:

I gave everyone a number, 1 through 9, and the random number generator spit out 2. The winner has been emailed!

I’m in a Box!

Today, Crimson Romance’s Time after Time bundle released. It includes my American Civil War-set romance Brave in Heart. And the entire bundle, ten complete books, is only 99 cents!

It’s a good set to get if you like unusual historicals. Four of the titles are set in the US, one in the Caribbean. The other five are Western European–but one of those involves Vikings!

Brave in Heart is part second-chance-at-love story and part searing war memoir, a fast-paced but true-to-period historical romance about change and forgiveness, bravery and loss, and finding the strength to act.

My complete list of reasons to read it is here, but it’s a short, angst-y, unusual historical. Also there are lots of love letters. If that’s not inducement enough, might I remind you that Brave in Heart was a top pick at Romantic Historical Lovers. It made Miss Bates cry. And lots of readers found it too steamy (say it isn’t so!).

If you’re a romance reviewer who didn’t review Brave in Heart last summer–which is to say most reviewers–and you’re interested in the book, let me know.

And if I’ve convinced you to give my book and the entire bundle a try, here are the buy links:

The publisher’s blurb and links to each of the books are after the fold.

Continue reading “I’m in a Box!” →

Odds and Ends, Part II

First things first, the Sizzling Summer Reads Event is under way at The Romance Reviews! Literally dozens of prizes are up for grabs including books and gift cards–and this week, one of those prizes is an e-copy of Special Interests. One of the questions for the game today is related to Special Interests and if you read my blog, I’m certain you know the answer. So go forth and enter!

Next, I will soon be available in a box. Specifically this box.

My American Civil War-set historical romance Brave in Heart is one of ten (10!) books in this bundle from Crimson Romance. It will be available starting on July 7 for the amazing cost of 99 cents. Brave in Heart has never been available at that price, let alone with nine other books. If you’ve been waiting to buy it, that would be time.

I don’t have any pre-order links yet, but I will post them when I have ’em. (ETA: you can add the collection on Goodreads.)

The Art of the Love Letter

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, which means that it’s time for me to write a love letter. And by that, I mean actually sit down and write one, with the pen and the paper and the envelope.

I’m not a big “nostalgize the form” kind of gal. I want nothing with Ludditism here. Once I got an e-Reader, I was happy to abandon physical books at least for pleasure reading. I can’t remember the last time I left a voicemail because it takes less time to read a text message. In general, out with the old!

But there is something about the physical experience of handwriting when it comes to the love letter that I want to maintain. The sound of the pen, the brush of the paper over your skin, the tactile event-ness speaks to what you’re trying to capture on the page. The handwritten love letter beautifully marries form and content.

When I wrote Brave in Heart, I handwrote parts of the novel out of necessity. My kids were in a grabby phase and I didn’t have full-time childcare. If I wanted to write when they were up, and sometimes I did, then handwriting was better than typing as the computer was too much fun to ignore.

But ultimately, certain scenes demanded to be handwritten, including the correspondence bridging two time gaps in the novel. I could not have typed the first drafts of those letters and generated what I did. They had to be written. What resulted is a sort of facsimile of the fictional object. Simulcra love letters.

And precisely because your beloved’s hand touches that same page you hold, his mouth wets the envelope, and so on, the love letter can be an object of veneration. Sorry, Mr. Benjamin, this is one aura I have no desire to destroy. (Frankfurt School digression: though he’d probably agree with me because there’s no mass production involved, at least if you start with blank paper and not a Hallmark card.)

A love letter is a work of art. It is a relict. It is timeless.

And now I’ve got to get to work on mine!

*If you were to try to read them, these letters contain minor BiH spoilers. Edited versions appear in Chapter 11 of that book.

Sale! Sale! Sale!

For the month of February, my Civil War-set historical romance Brave in Heart is on sale for $1.99. This is the first time it’s been discounted since releasing in July so if you haven’t picked it up, now would be a good time. If you need a reason to read it, here’s my no doubt compelling list.

Right now, that price is only at Amazon, but I’ll update this post if it shows up anywhere else.

Friday Flash Giveaway

So it’s my children’s birthday. Children’s plural. Birthday singular. Yes, three years ago I had twins and ever since then, it’s been sheer utter craziness.

To celebrate, I’m giving away one digital copy of my debut novel, Brave in Heart, via Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice). Just a leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner at random after midnight EST on Friday, December 27, 2013.

Cheers!

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