Bookshelves! LOOK!

My books are on the shelves at an actual bookstore! 

I’m excited because my books - both my military fiction and my contemporary romance - are on the shelves here at the Barnes & Noble at Lennox in Columbus, Ohio. They can be ordered online as well - anywhere books are sold online, but LOOK! They’re even on an endcap! 

And they’re even on shelves within their respective sections (Fiction and Romance). 

To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Sure. It’s just one store in one city in one state, but I’ve got to start somewhere, right? 

I hope you’ll take a moment to read them! 

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

A sassy bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available on Amazon, where it's FREE on Kindle Unlimited. It's available in paperback wherever books are sold online.

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or online wherever books are sold - including Target and Walmart!  Happy reading! 

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WiP Wednesday, er Friday

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

What are you reading or writing this weekend?

Yeah - had a great idea for a novel and must have dropped water on it because like a bunch of gremlins, I now have 7 novels in the works. They're all in the same town and have overlapping characters, but goodness! The creativity - thank goodness - never ends! I have one Lit Fic, but the next 6 are all romance novels coming to life.

WiP Wednesday has come and gone, but here's a book update. And no - nowhere near publishing yet, but I'm making great strides.

Wayward Guilt - 113,191 words - Grant's Crossing Novel - Lit Fic - About 90-95% through the initial draft. Don't Call Me Sugar - Steve and Tara - Grant's Crossing Romance - Working on edits / revisions / cuts. So many cuts.

(Beta readers = Invaluable, wonderful, awesome people!) Okay to Fall - Logan and Nick - Grant's Crossing Romance - 2-3 chapters in. I may save this for NaNoWriMo 2022 End of a New Life - Callie and Derek - Grant's Crossing Romance - Outlining / drafting / this one's weird, but I love it! Warm Drink on a Cold Day - Kiro and Celeste - Grant's Crossing Romance - Outlining / Drafting Romance #5 - Emerson and Aimee - Grant's Crossing Romance - Outlining / Notes Romance #6 - Tim and Jenna - Grant's Crossing Romance - Outlining / Notes If only I could win the lottery and head off to a cabin in the woods somewhere. Of course, it would need to be catered, or at least have someone come in to do the dishes. I have needs.

Take care and happy reading, and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

 - Heather 

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My NetGalley ARCs

I read a lot of ARCs which are Advanced Reader Copies of books in order to help generate buzz for soon-to-be-released books. I get them from a couple of websites, but mostly via authors directly.

Sometimes, like an extra appetizer on the menu, my eyes get a little hungrier for titles to read than my time allows. Sometimes I also put my name in for books and then start writing my own. 

NetGalley is a great resource for generating buzz on new books. Used primarily by small and large publishers alike, it's a treasure trove of new books of all genres for readers to dive into. The only requirement is that you write a review of the books you take. I currently have 10 books out. According to the NetGalley group I'm in, that's not at all unusual. What's unusual is that I recently went into NetGalley to discover I hadn't read them all. (Don't look at the dates. Really. Don't look. Sigh. Fine. Look.)

I have 10 books out - 8 are cozy mysteries, 1 is a romance, and 1 is a biography on a Pakistani cleric credited with the internationalization of the global jihadist movement. It'll take me a while to get through, but it's quite good so far. It's actually not the first book on that topic that I've read. 

I had 12 books before and have just posted a couple of reviews in my efforts to whittle down my book list. 

Cozy mystery - To the Tome of Murder by Lauren Elliott - Goodreads Review

Romance - Off the Grid by Kay Richard - Goodreads Review

I have high hopes for the balance of the books on my list. Yes - I'm way past due for a bunch since they're almost all already published, but I'm working on it. I take books that intrigue me or that are written by authors I already know I like. 

I hope you'll friend me or follow my reviews on Goodreads. 

I'm in there as H.M.S. Brown which will be my pen name when I start publishing. And yes - those are my real initials, with the addition of my mom's maiden name to add the S. I couldn't resist! And no - I don't use her maiden name of Scribner for passwords. But Yes - Scribner, like the publisher. We're distantly related. Think that'll give me an "in?" 

(Scratches chin) 

Hmm.

Hope you're all having a great weekend! Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

What I'm reading - May 2022

 What books are you reading right now? Do you have a preferred genre? What is it? Romance? Historical fiction? Science fiction or fantasy? Literary fiction?

I'm reading a handful of books right now in a variety of genres. While I'm writing my own book, I'm also reading books by other authors because it's a treat to read something that's already written and edited. For some, I'm just reading them for pleasure, but for others, I'm reading them in exchange for a review. When you're as voracious a reader as I am, you need to save some pennies. There are a handful of sites out there that allow you to hook up with authors or publishers to receive a free eBook in exchange for writing a review. It helps generate buzz around a book ahead of publication or just to help boost its public profile. 

These are a few I've used to expand my literary horizon (or feed my addiction, however you want to look at it.)

NetGalley - BookSprout - Wolf Pack Reads - Hidden Gems 

A lot of authors call for ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) readers as well. 

While I've read a variety of genres in exchange for reviews, sometimes it's just fun to read something just for fun. 

These are a few books I'm currently working on - some for fun, some for reviews. The fun thing about reading for reviews though, is I can pick the books I want, so all of these are fun. 

Flared Stiff - Cozy Mystery - Julie Anne Lindsey - one of my absolute favorite authors whom I've gotten to know in real life (Fellow Buckeye!). This is book 5 in her latest cozy mystery series - the Bonnie & Clyde Mysteries. (Clyde is the cat on the cover!) I'm just starting this book. Her books are always terrific whodunnits that are filled with likable and quirky characters that keep me guessing until the end. 

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby - OMG - this is raw and gritty and violent and emotionally taxing and it's so beautifully written. I could just cry at some of the descriptions. S.A. Cosby is an incredibly talented writer. Please check out his books. This is the first one I've read and I've already picked up Blacktop Wasteland (thriller). So good. I'm on chapter 26-27 - a little past halfway through.

This is another cozy mystery I just picked up. I'm only about a chapter in and it seems fun so far. It's set in an equine rescue center. The book is by a new-to-me author, Amber Camp. I love a good mystery and despite being light, I love a good cozy! The book is expected to hit the shelves in November and is already getting excellent reviews. 

This is a biography of Abdallah Azzam, a global jihadist. It's a well-written, albeit densely packed book when it comes to details. There's a lot to take in, but it's super interesting. The length and subject matter factor into the fact that this one will take me a while to finish, but that's ok. I look forward to working my way through this one. 

So this is what I'm up to. How about you? Have you read any of these? What are you reading these days? 

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

I Like Books

I like to read. A lot. Working from home and not having kids helps me out with that so I thought I'd share what I've read so far this year. 

Have you read any of these?

Told you it was a lot! 

I'm still in my romance phase but am easing my way back into more mysteries and thrillers. And fantasy. Although, I find I really enjoy contemporary romances, so I'm definitely not going to leave those behind. 

At the end of last year / beginning of this year, I definitely went through a cowboy romance phase. Don't judge and don't think I haven't already bought Maisey Yates' new cowboy romance novel. It's set at Christmas. It'll be awesome, but don't be surprised if you hear that I'm moving to Oregon to start working on a ranch. Again. Don't judge me. I already have a cat for that. 

Starting just before Pride Month, when everyone was recommending LGBTQIA+ books to read, I fell hard for LGBTQIA+ romance novels including my favorite book of the year, Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Seriously - romance and politics. Not since All's Fair with Love, War, and Running for President* have I been this happy! I have even reread it AND listened to it. 

Right now I'm starting a new mystery by one of my absolute favorite authors, Julie Anne Lindsey, called Seven Deadly Sequins - it's Book 2 of her Bonnie & Clyde mysteries. Book 1 was Burden of Poof! She's an Ohio author, but fear not. All the murders in her books take place out of state, such as Kentucky Crime Ring which I finished this morning. That means you're in good shape here in the Buckeye state! (Don't mind the obnoxious football fans, God love 'em!)

I've also had the pleasure of reading a debut series by a brand new author and friend, Krissyann Granger. Last weekend, I finished Book 4 of that series, Maggie Finds Clarity, and gave it a 5-star review. 

I listen to books as well - great for when I'm actually driving to work each day. Right now, we're 50/50 with working home vs. in the office. I finished Words of Radiance, book 2 in the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson (OMG - it was so incredibly good) and am currently on book 3: Oathbringer. I read Book 1, the Way of Kings. Book 2 was 48 hours and Book 3 is a mere 55 hours. I'm about 20 hours in. Only 35 to go! 

I don't give a lot of 5-star ratings, but Red, White and Royal Blue, Burden of Poof, Maggie Finds Clarity, and Words of Radiance each got one. I'll highlight my 5-stars here later this year so be sure to watch for those. 

So tell me, what are you reading? 

Happy Reading! 

        - Heather

* All's Fair with Love, War, and Running for President is not actually a romance. It's a very well-written political book written by Mary Matelin (Campaign advisor to President George H.W. Bush) and her husband, James Carville (Campaign advisor to then-governor Bill Clinton). It's an excellent read!

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Bookstores - How do I love Thee?

This is what I do when I get to Barnes & Noble. I take pictures! I've already read 13 of these, DNF'd another and I have two waiting in the wings. A few more look fun, too.

X = read

S = started, not yet finished.

√ = I have it, but haven't yet started it.

Yeah. Got slightly hooked on romance novels. I credit the pandemic.

My absolute favorite: Red, White, And Royal Blue. If you read nothing else, read this one. 

Other favorites include these (and the other few I didn't mention!)

People We Meet on Vacation

And you have to read Beach Read - writers, especially, will appreciate it! 

Life's Too Short

You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll want to read it again. Promise.

Boyfriend Material

Such a sweet and wonderful story about love and acceptance.

Well Met 

First two were great - I have the 3rd on pre-order

Good Luck Charm

A great book for all your sports fans out there!

Float Plan 

...for sure! You need to read this one!

Party of Two 

My favorite of Jasmine Guillory's books

Bromance Book Club 

...and all its sequels

Meet Cute

Really enjoyed this along with Kiss My Cupcake. So many great choices!

The Ex Talk

Great for lovers of public radio.

Island Affair 

My first romance novel! Love Priscilla Oliveras' books!

And most definitely The Tourist Attraction 

(Though all three books in that series are awesome. #3 is my favorite)

I also have If I Never Met You and The Dating Plan which are currently on deck for me.

If you're looking for some good romance novels but have a preferred theme, here are some additional suggestions. Trust me. I can suggest a lot more.

• Want some Cowboy romance? Hit up Maisey Yates Start with the Garrett family: Part-Time Cowboy, Broke Down Cowboy and Bad News Cowboy.

• Want some Football romance? Alexa Martin Intercepted, Fumbled, Blitzed, Snapped - My fave is Blitzed.

• Want some Motorcycle Club romances? Melissa Foster Start with the Whiskeys - Tru Blue is the first.

• Want some LGBTQ+ romances? L.A. Witt  (and Melissa Foster) My faves are Rules of Engagement and Covet Thy Neighbor as well as her suspense novels.

• Want some Tattoo romances? Chelle Bliss (and L.A. Witt) Start with Flame and Burn.

• Want laugh out load books? Lyssa Kay Adams You definitely want the Bromance Book Clubs, You'll pee your pants, you'll laugh so hard. Watch for The Russian. OMG. SO HILARIOUS!

• Want a good cry? Libby Hubscher Meet me in Paradise. I went through at least 10 Kleenex before looking into just buying stock so I could get my money back.

I'm sure you'll find some great books. In the meantime... 

Happy Reading! 

        - Heather


Twitter - @GrantsCrossing 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing 

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown - for this and all my book reviews

Coffee and a Classic - June

Check out my June Coffee and a Classic subscription box!

Coffee and a Classic is a monthly subscription box that arrives about the middle of each month with a classic novel, pre-chosen by the sender. I haven't read a lot of the classics that everyone says you should read or that every Top 100 list contains, so I figured this would be a good way to get some into my library and let me try some new (to me) authors and books I might not normally read. 

How it works: Readers can subscribe to the adult classics, which is what I get, or the children's classics which are geared to younger readers. This is what I received this month! 

June's book is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a book I've never actually read, but have heard is beyond excellent. July's book will be The Odyssey by Homer. May's book was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 

Included in the box are a handful of items that are related to the book itself including coffee or tea (I choose tea) and a mug. Of course, you have the option of foregoing the mug and coffee or tea in favor of the book and other goodies. 

Coffee and a Classic are taking orders now for their August book. It'll be up as a sneak peek later this month. 

Happy reading! 

 - Heather

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown - Find this and other book reviews here

Review - Garrett Valor Series

These are so much better than the Harlequins I read in high school!

Julie Anne Lindsey is one of my absolute favorite authors and I'm currently in the point of pre-ordering every book she says is coming out because I know it's a guaranteed good story. I first came to know her as Bree Baker, her pseudonym for the Seaside Cafe cozy mystery series and yes - I'll probably post something about each series because that's how I roll. But, the stories are all fun, well-written, filled with fun, lovable, and quirky characters. As for the whodunnits? Well, they're not given away until she's ready to give them away. Just what I want in a cozy mystery. And yes, I have book #6, Partners in Lime (Barnes & Noble - Amazon) pre-ordered and know she's working on Book 7 which will, sadly, be the last book of the series. (Come on, Everly and Grady. Snap to it)

Because I know she's a good mystery writer, when I learned she also wrote Romantic Suspense novels for Harlequin Intrigue, I just had to read them and they did not disappoint.

Yeah. I'm hooked.I'm especially hooked on series of books that gives a full book to each member of the family. In the case of the Garrett Valor series, each Garrett brother is working on law enforcement, usually being brought into each others cases to offer up support. 

There are actually four books featuring the Garrett Brothers, so I recommend reading them in this sequence: 

1. Federal Agent Under Fire - Blake, an FBI agent, hunts down a serial killer, protecting Marissa Lane along the way. 

2. The Sheriff’s Secret - This follows West, the town Sheriff, as he tracks down someone stalking his former girlfriend. 

3. Shadow Point Deputy - In this book, Cole, a deputy working for his brother, West, follows the clues and protects a witness from a criminal that just might be a dirty cop. 

4. Marked by the Marshall - In the fourth book of the series, Ryder, the U.S. Marshall of the family, is in pursuit of a serial arsonist who is now targeting Ryder's ex-fiancée.

All the books are great reads with believable characters and the women who are in danger aren’t all the types who whine or constantly fail to follow basic instruction. No - they’re all smart, strong, have common sense, are independent thinkers and totally fall for the Garrett brother who’s assigned to protect them. Heck, if the Garrett brothers existed in real life, you'd fall for them, too.

I loved getting to know the whole family - even Uncle Henry, though I hear, as a paramedic, he's not going to get his own book. Life can be so unfair sometimes. He still gets to save the day in a couple of books.

The stories are fun - believable, suspenseful, action-packed and also quick reads because you can’t put them down! Sleep is overrated anyway.

Julie Anne Lindsey has two other Harlequin book series that follow families of law enforcement professionals (Heartland Heroes) or military veterans working security (Fortress Defense).

Julie Anne Lindsey's books can be found in stores and online wherever you buy your books. She has published under several pseudonyms. They are Julie Anne Lindsey - Bree Baker - Jacqueline Frost - Julie Chase - but all her books can be found on her official website.

Already available for pre-order is a new cozy mystery series set to debut this fall. Burden of Poof will be the first of at least eight Bonnie and Clyde mysteries that I can't wait to read.


Happy Reading!

        - Heather


Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

First Draft Complete!

HOLY COW! I WROTE A BOOK!

I just finished my first draft of Grant’s Crossing!

Sure, I’m still obsessing over it, but now I’m going to print a hard copy of the manuscript and will start reading it from cover to cover for my first full round of edits. 

It goes to my actual editor next month. 

I actually did it! Wow! 

Happy Reading! 

        - Heather

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing 

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown - for this and all my book reviews

Grant’s Crossing

I’m happy to say that my first novel, Grant’s Crossing, is really coming together. At over 18,000 words so far, I think it’s safe to say that my story and her characters are developing quite nicely. 

This past week, I’ve had a couple of rough days at my day job because I’ve awakened early in the morning with a great idea in my head that I just had to write down. I started writing and then, all of a sudden, a few hours had gone by and it was time to get ready for work! Who needs sleep, anyway, right? 

While writing more chapters and developing my characters, I’m also still working on how to describe the book itself. Like the story, that’s a work in progress, too! 

Here’s what I have so far. Bear in mind, I may change this 50 more times between now and publication, but I think this is a great start. 

I’ll start with the short version.

Grant’s Crossing

A woman in need of answers

A man living on the edge

A town in need of hope

And the longer version...

A journalist who relentlessly pursues the truth still can’t answer the one question that matters to her the most. 

An EMT who dedicates his life to helping others yet still lives his own life on the edge.  

A small town hit hard by addiction still needs that one catalyst that can bring them hope. 

So what do you think? 

Happy Reading! 

        - Heather

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing 

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown - for this and all my book reviews

Welcome to Grant's Crossing!

Hello! 

I'm Heather and I love to read. Thanks to the pandemic, I've been reading a lot more than usual, especially with being furloughed from my job. 

During those 8 long weeks, I read like it was going out of style. Mostly mysteries, but also some classic American lit, fantasy, current events, history, romance, you name it. And yes. I started to read some romance novels! My favorite two are Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras and Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas. Both are nice stories without any real unwanted drama. They're filled with likable characters and the best part? They each have a happy ending. Can't go wrong! Definitely what the doctor ordered during these difficult times. 

Michonne, my current editor. She loves everything I write as long as I keep refilling her food dish.

While on furlough, my mom challenged me to write a book. I had read one particularly bad romance (Not included on my Goodreads page!) and sarcastically asked her, "Seriously - how hard could it be to write one of these?!". Well - her response was simple. If they're so easy, write one yourself! 

Uh...um... ok? Uhhhh...OK! Challenge accepted! 

And with that, Grant's Crossing was born! I started by creating a town and making a list of characters I thought would be fun to include, though mostly by title - diner owner, bar owner, shopkeeper, primarily female lead, primary male lead, etc etc etc. This was fun!

After that, I started drawing out the town square, but also figuring out where it was. I wanted a small town in Ohio, near a body of water and near real towns and cities. 

After a few days, my characters started developing names and bits and pieces of background stories. 

From there, the actual story started to reveal itself. 

I started writing and now I have a prologue, my opening scene. I don't think this is going to be a romance though because it turned out to be darker than originally envisioned, but I'm good with that. I like it a lot and I definitely like where it's going, though I'm not yet sure where that'll be. 

The story is leading me. I'm just the one taking notes. 

Regardless of where this goes, I really look forward to bringing the town, and its residents, to life.

As I go along, I plan to introduce you to some the characters in Grant's Crossing as they develop and promise to keep you updated with my progress on the actual writing. 

I was challenged on June 10. Today is June 21 and I have a 600-word prologue. No idea how long it will be when it's all said and done, but I feel great knowing I've moved beyond the first sentence! 

Until next time, thanks very much and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

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Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown - for this and all my book reviews