I am officially a published author.
My novella, Dear Meri Winters, released on July 8th as an independently published book. It has been uploaded to KDP so can be purchased on Kindle, and I am waiting for it publish to various distributors through Draft2Digital.
This contemporary holiday romance novella is first standalone book in the Felicity Falls Romance Novella Series, which will feature stories and characters set in and around the fictional town of Felicity Falls, Colorado.
Plus, it’s only 99 cents!
If you were following Oak & River Books in the end of 2021, you may recall that I did a week-long writing challenge just before Christmas. Those posts are now archived, but the story stayed with me, and it was always on my heart to publish it.
Originally, I had planned to self-publish Dear Meri Winters right before Christmas of 2022, but my first fantasy novel is coming out January 2023 and I thought those dates were too close together. Also, things have been crazy this summer and I thought readers would enjoy the escapism of a short and sweet romance.
Since it was a bit of a last-minute decision to release Dear Meri Winters in July – in a nod to Christmas in July – I did not do extensive marketing and I did literally everything on my own. Finances and time were both contributing factors. It’s a story I care about but still felt comfortable releasing it independently and wearing all the hats.
Only one typo was found! It was immediately updated, but anyone who already ordered may be stuck with Jaylen wearing his “scared” instead of his “scarf.” It said scarf for so long, I’m not sure when it changed to scared. It’s also not something that autocorrect would catch. The moral of the story is, I still trust my proofreading skills, but it never hurts to get an extra set of eyes when you have time.
If you are interested in fade-to-black, short and sweet romance, you will enjoy Dear Meri Winters.
After Meri Winters develops real feelings for her fake boyfriend, she breaks up with him and heads to the Colorado mountains for a holiday reprieve. A week of bubble baths, carefree dining, and solitude is just what she needs. She has it all planned out until her at-home chef arrives and things start to heat up inside and outside of the kitchen.
Jaylen Brodbeck is an at-home chef who is too focused on his career to worry about love. When he learns that his upcoming couple’s reservation has become a solo client, he isn’t deterred in the slightest – until he meets Meri in person and realizes his priorities have been all wrong.
Sparks fly when Meri and Jaylen are snowed in together in a quaint mountain cabin, but will they end the holiday together or will they ignore the longings of their hearts?
Dear Meri Winters is Book 1 in the Felicity Falls Romance Novella Series – all of the books can be read as standalones but will have interconnected characters.
