Wayward Guilt - Available for Pre-order

Hello! 

WAYWARD GUILT is available for pre-order! Click any of these links to pre-order the eBook for $2.99.

AMAZON

APPLE

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

(Paperback pre-orders will be available in early July)

If you're on Goodreads, you can go ahead and add WAYWARD GUILT to your Want-to-Read shelf! (I'd be grateful if you did!)

This is my debut novel and I can't wait for all of you to read it! 

⭐️ Small town
🇺🇸 Friendship
⭐️ Service 
🇺🇸 Loss & Grief
⭐️ First loves
🇺🇸 Family
⭐️ MM Romance
🇺🇸 Honor

Three friends leave home to serve their country. Only two make it back. 

After the twin towers fall, Derek Mitchell enlists in the U.S. Army with two of his best friends. He dreams of helping people, whether in the field of combat or back home in Grant's Crossing, Ohio. 

Juan dreams of marrying his high school sweetheart and starting a family. 

Joey dreams of being happy and living his own truth. 

Together, they serve in multiple deployments until Juan and Joey are each grievously injured in separate combat missions. Thirteen years after initially enlisting, one doesn’t make it back. 

Four months after the funeral, friends and family gather to celebrate Derek’s return to civilian life. With each story shared, he relives their final missions together, carrying the guilt of having saved one friend but not the other. 

What do you do when the one friend you’ve always turned to is no longer there?

CW: This book contains on-page domestic violence, combat and combat deaths, on-page adult scenes, suicide attempt.
Heroes of Grant's Crossing Book 2 will be out in 2024. 

Happy reading! 

Heather - a.k.a. H.M.S. Brown (My real initials!)

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Wayward Guilt - Status update (a.k.a. Blurbs are evil)

You can't list a book without the blurb. 

My book, WAYWARD GUILT, will hit the shelves this summer, on July 25, 2023. I'm currently working on getting myself set up as an author on all the websites and getting my book listed. There are a LOT of steps. No trap doors yet, so I'm slowly and steadily moving forward. 

My writing and publishing journey is indeed set on a long road. I'm working on getting myself set up. The main thing you need when listing your book is a blurb. Blurbs are evil. They are my nemesis. I don't like them. I buy books based on the blurb. So do many other people, so I had to create mine. Evil. Pure evil. 

You can't list a book without the blurb. 

Happy to say my blurb is done.

Here's where I stand on getting my book, WAYWARD GUILT, released into the wild. 

Amazon - book is submitted. 72 hour wait for it to be live and able to be claimed for author page. - UPDATE - it went live about 5 minutes after I posted this update and about 1 hour after I submitted it. Well done, Amazon! 

Apple - EIN verified, now waiting 24 hours for banking info to be updated - still working towards being able to list book 

Kobo - it's live. It's still live. Kobo is my friend. 

Goodreads - still waiting on librarian to add Wayward Guilt so I can claim it as an author and convert profile to author page. UPDATE - It's now live-ish. I just submitted the claim as the author and am waiting for that to be updated. In the meantime, I added my own book to my "want to read" shelf and claimed myself as the author. HUZZAH! 

Google Play - in the works. Kind of.  

Smashwords - haven't started yet 

Payhip - have just set up the basics re: Profile info - haven't tried to list anything yet 

Barnes & Noble - Not there yet, but I think I have to set myself up as a vendor of record? 

Sigh. Why am I not querying traditional publishers? Scribner Publishing would want me, right? I mean, what do you think the S in H.M.S. Brown stands for anyway?! Honest - Charles Scribner is my 2nd cousin 6 times removed. (and I only know that thanks to ancestry.com). In other words, we share a common ancestor. His Great-grandfather, Matthew Scribner, is my 7-greats grandfather. Matthew Scribner and three of his sons (including Captain Nathaniel Scribner of the Dutchess County Militia in New York) are my family's Revolutionary War ancestors. 

Family history aside, I'm still plugging away at getting my author pages set up and my book listed. What's taking all the time is that I'm doing all this for the first time. Fortunately, Author pages only need to be set up once. Once they're done, listing any subsequent books or formats will be a walk in the park by comparison. 

In Goodreads alone, I'll be able to list my own books without having to go through an intermediary known as the Goodreads Librarian. From all accounts I've heard, they do a fantastic job, but since I don't already have any books listed and since I don't already have an author profile, I have to first enlist their help to get me going. Nothing horrible by any means, just a little bit time-consuming, that's all. Once I'm through it though, I'll be golden.

In the meantime, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Wayward Guilt - Status Update May the 4th (be with you!)

Good evening! 

I started the process of listing my first novel, WAYWARD GUILT - Heroes of Grant's Crossing Book 1, this week, and I'd like to say how grateful I am that so much of this process of creating/setting up author pages, listing books, is a one-time thing.

Goodness! 

Planned release date is July 25, 2023!!

I plan to publish wide, which means I won't be exclusive to a single publisher. Plus, I plan to offer both digital and paperback versions of my book. (I haven't yet delved into the large-print version of the paperwork, but that's down the road)

• I've submitted the book via Goodreads, and once listed, I can convert my profile to an author page.
• Draft2Digital (D2D) has been started
• Apple Books - They're verifying my EIN
• Kobo, Google Play, Amazon, BN, Smashwords, etc. - Mostly TBD - 1 down, 4+ to go.
• Bookbub - I've submitted my one listing and claimed my author name. Once approved, I'll be able to list my book and convert my current profile to an author page so I can keep my reviews in place. (I have about 60+ reviews) This can take up to a week.
• Payhip - Started

My book goes to my editor on May 22 - the story itself is in great shape. I just need to work on the misc stuff, i.e.

• Copyright page
• Author's notes
• Content/trigger warning
• Acknowledgments
• Character page - still debating
• Contacts and social media links
• Teaser for next book
• Link to preorder for Heroes of Grant's Crossing Book 2 

I'm shooting for late winter/early spring 2024 for Book 2. 

Wish me luck!

Once I'm set up, I can truly jump into the marketing, though this kind of counts. BUT - I want to include links. In the meantime, you're welcome to like and follow my author page at HMS Brown. I'd love to hit 100 likes by the time I get these listed and over 250 by the time my book is released the end of July!

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Review - Holiday Romance

 Sure, it's not Christmas, but it's St. Patrick's Day, so that's the next best thing. Right? Right.

I just finished this delightful rom-com, Holiday Romance, featuring two friends from Ireland heading home from Chicago for the holidays. Catherine Walsh drew me in with a fabulous story and Shelley Atkinson never let me go with her brilliant narration. 

If you're looking for a low-to-no-angst romance, this is it. Trust me. You'll feel good after. And you'll get to travel to Ireland without standing in line or being tired at the end of the day!

My review: Holiday Romance is a delightful and sweet friends-to-lovers romance. There's no angst, everyone is nice to each other, and it has a wonderfully happy ending. Written by Catherine Walsh, it gave me all the feels and made me just feel good. 

Andrew and Molly are both from Ireland but live and work in Chicago. For a decade now, they've each been on the same flight back to Ireland for the holidays. Each year their friendship has grown as they discover each other's quirks and get to know each other. 

On the latest flight home, a bad storm has them traveling all over kingdom come to get home in the most random and roundabout way imaginable. Thanks to some well-placed mistletoe, they started to open up to each other and acknowledge their feelings toward each other. 

I absolutely adored the scene in Andrew's family kitchen where he started listing out, flight by flight, how he fell in love with her. Talk about swoonworthy!

SIDE NOTES:

• I'd love to see a book with Zoe! And Christian??? Hmm?
• Zoe gave me some fantastic laugh-out-loud moments. I'm sure the people in the cars next to me thought I was a little crazy, but it's all worth it. 
• Hannah was adorable - so vibrant and full of life. 
• I love the dual timeline and how it eventually met up at the end.
• I was late in getting this reviewed, so I ended up listening to it on audible. Kudos to Shelley Atkinson for the incredible narration! She made it an absolute joy to listen to. 

This was my first book by Catherine Walsh and I know it won't be my last. 

Thanks very much to NetGalley and Boukouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Review - Suddenly, Last Summer

Michael Robert is a romance novelist I discovered via Instagram thanks to randomly following a bunch of fellow writers. He's known for his LGBTQ romance novels such as The Bird Catcher, Letters: Books One and Two, The Ranch, among others. He was also one of several authors (Including his husband, Garry Michael) who wrote short stories in the anthology, Cruising.

I adored this story not only because of Michael Robert's beautifully descriptive writing but also because we should all have a rock like Trey in our lives. 

Scroll down for my full review. 

Timing is everything. 

Suddenly, Last Summer by Michael Robert is a beautifully-written romance between two men who practically grew up together, separated for far too long, then came back to fall in love. 

Trey waited, and it was so worth it in the end! :-) 

Jordy was taken in by the Barnes family after his own parents died in an accident. He was best friends with their oldest son, Brock, but it was his younger brother, Trey, who was absolutely smitten with Jordy. 

Before Jordy left for his final year of med school and knowing he wouldn't come back the following summer, Trey admitted he was in love with Jordy. Jordy, who swore never to cross the line of dating his best friend's younger brother, who was 17 at the time, dismissed the feelings but wished him well. He needed to concentrate on becoming a medical doctor. 

Fast forward a few years, and Jordy's returning to the resort the Barnes family owns and operates. Jordy is no longer a 17-year-old kid, and Jordy, who always cared for Trey, is discovering how difficult it is to fight his feelings for the young man who has stolen his heart. 

I love how Trey was the rock in this relationship. Jordy was a confident doctor but still easily swayed by Brock, who'd become even more of a jerk. Trey held the family together. He held the resort together. He stayed tried and true for Jordy. Jordy may have been slow on the pickup at times, but persistence pays off. He stayed loyal, no matter what.

Jordy's struggle took a while to overcome. When someone's in a bad relationship, it's easy to be gunshy. Michael Robert wove a great story of not only bringing the two men together physically, thanks to forced proximity, but also by letting them forge a more beautiful friendship based on something more than the little brother with the big brother's best friend. Jordy discovered Trey was the glue the resort and family needed. He never gave up - not on his family, not on his family's resort, and definitely not on Jordy. He never once wavered in his love for Jordy. 

I can't tell happy it made me when Jordy finally realized his feelings for Trey were more important than his loyalty to his not-so-loyal best friend. I wish we all had someone like Trey to keep us grounded and let us know how valuable we truly are. 

Side notes: 

* Have a fan within reach. The steamy scenes were quite steamy. :-) 

* There were some fantastic side characters - especially Trey's best friend, Skippy, who I'd love to see in another book. I would like to see Miller as well, and since he was in from out of town, the story possibilities are endless. (Subtle, aren't I?!)

* The evil side of me was well-fed in this book, especially when the bad guys in the story got their comeuppance. 

* I love a good happy ending, and Michael Robert's books never disappoint! 

* My fifth novel by this author after Letters Book One, Letters Book Two, The Bird Catcher, and The Ranch. 

Swoon. 

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Update - Wayward Guilt - Coffee Tour #2

Day 2 of my neighborhood coffee shop tour brought me to the Grandview Grind, the closest coffee shop to where I live, though it's maybe a block or two closer to the next shop, so not too far. 

I'm making some great progress on my book. By the end of the day, I've uploaded 44 out of 46 chapters in Wayward Guilt. See? Progress! My draft has 46 chapters and an epilogue though Chapter 45 will be rather tough, I think. Sure, it's drafted, but well... it's just a tough one. And I usually cry whenever I work on it. Can't help myself! 

Before I stopped at the Grind, I took a walk down Grandview Avenue to stop by Pure Imagination Chocolaterie to treat myself to a 4-pack of delicious truffles for my birthday. I picked up 4 different flavors: Espresso, Vanilla Bean, Coconut, and Key Lime. The Espresso is already my favorite! 

Special thanks to the gentleman working behind the counter. He treated me to a little birthday present, too - two pieces of chocolate-covered coconut. They didn't last long. (TASTY!)

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Update - Wayward Guilt - A Grant's Crossing Novel

2023 to-do list: FINISH MY BOOK!

I don't have to return to work until next Thursday, so I'm going to spend my next few days writing and cleaning up my book, Wayward Guilt, at various coffee shops in my neighborhood. 

Coffee shop #1 of my local writing tour. Boston Stoker in Grandview. Shout out to the awesome, correction: AMAZING, college students who shared their table with me today. They are our future! (I really hope they see this because they made my day!)

I have the first 21 chapters uploaded for my Alpha readers / Critique partners and am already getting some fabulous feedback. I hope to get the majority of what's left uploaded this week, so I can feel a sense of accomplishment. 

My true goal is to publish in September. Fingers crossed!

Wish me luck! 

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Review - Double Up

I can't say this enough, but I love Courtney W. Dixon's books! She writes complex characters with realistic backgrounds and compelling stories. She also puts them all through the ringer, so I can't help but hurt right along with them.  

In other words, yes. She makes me cry but I can't stop turning pages!

If you’re not in love with Zayden and Noah by the end of Double Up, Dixon's 3rd installment of the Ohana Surfing Club series, you need to go back and reread this book. 

Right now. 

Zayden’s a good kid who happens to like boys instead of girls. His parents are crappy parents who kick him out at age 15 for kissing another boy. This amazing and resilient boy has to live on the streets for nearly a year, competing in and winning surfing contests to keep himself in cash. One day, his surfboard breaks, and he steals a new board from the Ohana Surfing Club. 

Fortunately, Kel, our lovable character from Impact Zone, saw desperation and not malicious intent in Zayden. Like the good man he is, he gives Zay the opportunity to work off the value of the board in exchange for a place to live and going back to school.

Noah a teenager who parents his own mom, typically drunk out of her mind and with a new man every week; he makes sure she gets up and makes it to work so they can keep eating and have a roof over their heads. 

When Zayden gets back into school after being on the streets for a year, he befriends Noah. Not that he has much choice in the matter because Noah befriends anyone and everyone. He was a beacon of positivity and optimism, quite the opposite of Zay, who is far more intense and kept to himself. 

Soon they become the best of friends. Noah is even given a job and a better place to stay at Ohana Surf Club despite still taking care of his mom. 

Though it starts with quite a rough beginning, the overall story between Zayden and Noah is super sweet once they get together and discover they like each other. Their friendship is unbreakable, as is their love for each other. They stick with each other through injuries, abandoned children like themselves, and all the ups and downs of their young lives. 

I adore these two and thoroughly loved reading about them. Their story was sweet and no matter what, they were always there for each other. I felt so good reading about two people who instinctively knew to be there for the other, even if they didn't always know how to word things. Just a simple touch or guidance communicated as much as an words. Zayden's intensity combined with Noah's endless optimism warmed my heart.

I can’t wait for Courtney W Dixon’s next book! In the meantime, I'm going to reread this.

You should, too.

If you've not yet started this series, each book can be read as a standalone, but it's fun to read from the beginning. 

Learn more about the Ohana Surfing Club and Kings of Boston book series at Courtney W Dixon's official website. 

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites. 

Take care, and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Follow and friend me online! 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Review - Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is the second book I've read by Jenny Bayliss. Like The Twelve Dates of Christmas, which I absolutely loved, it was a delight to read. 

MMUM brings a group of friends together for a wedding at an old castle in Nory's hometown. Nory, the proprietor of a book store in London is a woman who grew up in and around the old castle where her parents worked. Bridging the gap between her well-off friends she made at a high-end boarding school and her working class family, she teetered between the two worlds, though was welcomed by both. 

The romance part of this romance novel was really slow to start, but in its place, we were treated to a wonderful group of friends seeing each other in person for the first time in several years. I didn't really feel the romantic chemistry between Nory and Isaac, but I loved them both. It's as if they rekindled an old friendship and turned it into something more, but the something more was often off-page. 

All in all, a delightful listen. 

Since I ended up listening to this book, I must say that Shakira Shute did a fantastic job and kept me in the story the whole time. I listened at 1.3x speed. 

Side notes: 

* I loved the banter and interaction between the friends and would have loved this book even without the romance. I could easily have read another 100 pages of just all the friends together and in small groups - especially more about their thoughts on their late friend, Tristan. 

* Steam level was low. Any steamy scenes were glossed over in a sentence or two until the scene could be transported to a new locale.

* I was so happy for Guy's ending.

Click here for more about Jenny Bayliss. Find Meet Me Under the Mistletoe on Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon

 

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Review - The Black Fog

Thanks to some juicy stories available to read via Booksprout, I've been sampling the works of myriad new-to-me authors from around the world. I've also been dipping my toes into genres outside my usual choices of mystery and romance, such as poetry and horror. 

One such story I read is by an English author named Newton Webb. He spins deliciously creepy tales perfect for those looking for a fun horror story that will make them look over their shoulders and question their sanity. 

Who needs to be at work to question their sanity, right?

The Black Fog is a tale about a creepy black fog that rolls in off the sea towards a fishing town seemingly in its decline. People have mysteriously but when it overtakes the entire town... well... you'll just have to read it! 

It's a super quick read, so I hope you'll take a few moments to read it. You'll thank me later! 

On deck with this author are two more short stories, novellas The Platinum Service and The Heir Apparent. 

Read more about Newton Webb and his books on his website. Goodreads - Amazon

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Follow me on Facebook

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing