Today I’m thrilled to announce that it’s release day for my latest book, Embers and Echoes, as a stand-alone ebook. Embers and Echoes is second in the four-book Echo Springs series, written with Leisl Leighton, TJ Hamilton and Shannon Curtis. All four books take place in the outback NSW town of Echo Springs and feature a romance with police officers from the local cop shop.
Building a series
Echo Springs is the first series I’ve been involved in with other authors and it was an experience to remember – and surprisingly painless. For those of you interested in how something like this gets put together, we first met via Skype to discuss possible plots, each coming with their own.
I came with a couple, the only alternative I remember being about a wildlife carer and people poaching animals from the local national park for the illegal pet trade. Responses were lukewarm (might save that for another book) but were much more enthusiastic when I said, ‘Well, I’ve got an idea for a romance between a firefighter and a cop.’
That seemed to do the trick.
With a rudimentary overarching plot worked out, and our individual book plots and characters sorted, we decided on a few features of the town – the springs, where the police station was, the hospital, the main streets and the local watering holes – and fed them into a series bible, which we referred to and added to over the months that followed.
And then we went away and wrote our books. It was probably the quickest I’ve ever turned around a book to be honest. That’s because there was a wonderful contracted deadline in play and I love a deadline. So much better than just relying on myself. (I’m getting better, I promise.)
Once the book was written, edited and submitted, then there were revisions and proofreading to go. As this was my first book in print, it came with proof checking, which was fun. And since the book has been published in print, there’s been a whole lot of other fun and excitement.
Milestones for the win
There’ve been plenty of milestones that have come with this book:
Book on sale in Big W and Kmart? Check!
Book on sale in Dymocks? Check!
Featured in a back-page ad in TW Week? Check!
Not to mention a bunch of sightings in the wild and wondering where else it will pop up.
And the best of all? Signing my book! That’s been exciting too.
And now the latest bit of excitement is today’s ebook release. If you can’t get the book in hard copy (or you prefer reading on a device), then I hope you’ll take advantage of today’s release.
Buy it now from HarperCollins Australia | Kindle | iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo
Here’s the blurb in case you need anything else to sway you 😉
Blue lights in the red dust…
Echo Springs on the edge of the outback – a town where everyone knows your name, and your business. But the wholesome country living and welcoming community aren’t what they used to be. Echo Springs has a dark underbelly, and it is seeping ever outward.
A suspicious fire on the edge of town sets Constable Ben Fields on a collision course with firefighter and one–time friend Toby Grimshaw. When the investigation takes a troubling turn that calls the two professionals’ integrity into question, the heat gets turned up on Ben and Toby’s unresolved history.
Ben’s got something to prove, but his love for Toby could cost him – and Echo Springs – everything. Meanwhile, will Toby overcome the horrors of his past and find a new future with Ben – or will it all go up in flames?
Buy it now from HarperCollins Australia | Kindle | iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo
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