I just wanted to drop in with anther quick update. 

Unfortunately, I'm still a little behind. I really thought I would be finished with Angels and Anarchy by now, but this book ended up being much longer than I had originally anticipated. On the bright side, a longer book means more story! Yay!

The bad news is that the book won't be releasing on the 15th (today, I guess) like I had said in my previous post. I really am sorry about that. The good news is that I'm currently working on edits, so it's not a huge delay. Another week at most, and I promise I'll post the Amazon link the second I have it.

Until Next Time
​XoXo ~ Arden
​

Hey everyone, I just wanted to drop a quick update. 

It's been a rough month for me. Life has been a bit chaotic, and my mental health hasn't been the best. I'm feeling much better now, but I had to take some time away from writing, so of course, I'm a little behind. Don't worry. We're not talking months or anything. Just a couple of weeks.

Angel and Anarchy, the first book in the new spin-off to the Blackhaven Manor series, will now release on or around June 15th. (Just depends on how long Amazon takes to review it.)

While the Hunters Hollow series does share the same world as Blackhaven Manor, and some previous characters from that series will make an appearance, you can read these series completely independently of each other. There will be no crossover storylines. No plots that start in one series and pick up in another. 

So, I think that's it for now, but more updates coming soon!

Until Next Time,
XoXo - Arden

It was a long time coming, but the second +One book is here. If you missed the first one, no worries. The books in this series can be read as standalones. 

Ex-Boyfriend Material is a light, sweet, friends-to-lovers romance. Patrick and Evan were so much fun to write, and I hope you enjoy getting to know them! 

Evan Lewis doesn’t get people. It’s like everyone is talking in riddles, and no one ever says what they really mean. He’s tired of being alone but navigating the nuances of the dating scene is nothing more than an exercise in frustration.

Luckily, he knows just the person to turn to for help.

The first time Evan walked through the door of his café, Patrick Donovan should have staked his claim then and there. At the time, though, the guy had needed a friend a lot more than he’d needed a date. He never regretted the decision, at least, not until Evan asks for his help in pursing someone else. Now, it’s time to put up or shut up.

There’s just one problem. 

He’s good at temporary, but he has no idea how to be in a committed relationship. Worse, he has one week to figure it out if he wants to prove to Evan that he can be more than just ex-boyfriend material.

~ PATRICK ~
​

I’d just started three fresh pots of coffee when the front door opened, ushering in a gust of wind…and my favorite customer. 

“Hey, Evan.” The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but water droplets still clung to his ebony hair and darkened the shoulders of his gray polo. “What can I get you?”

“Hey,” he echoed, his smile making his eyes sparkle. “I’d like a chicken club panini and a mango green tea, please.” 

I grabbed one of the to-go cups and scribbled his name across it. “You got it. Anything else?”

“That’s it.” He settled quietly onto his usual barstool at the counter and folded his hands together in his lap. 

It had been more than a year since Evan Lewis had moved to our little community, but I could still remember the first time he’d walked into my shop. It had been raining then, too, and he’d been soaked from crown to sole when he’d stepped through the door. He’d apologized profusely for tracking water across the floor, even though every other customer had done the same all day. 

I’d given him a towel, a cup of coffee on the house, and we had talked until closing.
From the moment I’d seen him, I’d been enamored. Tall and lean with big, green eyes framed by thick lashes and set into an angelic face, he was breathtaking. Sure, he was a little strange, and so literal it hurt sometimes, but I’d quickly and easily learned to navigate his idiosyncrasies. In fact, I found the way he just blurted out whatever he was thinking kind of charming. 

I’d had every intention of asking him out that first night, especially after I had learned that he liked men. The more we had talked, though, the more obvious it had become that what he had really needed was a friend. 

Thus, I had checked my libido and taken a step back, letting his actions guide my own. He’d been so shy back then, so reserved, it had taken months to really get to know him, but not once had I ever regretted my decision. 

“So,” Evan said, “I met this guy today.”

Until now.
​

Back in November, I promised more updates. It took a little longer than anticipated, but here we go!

In my last post, I had mentioned that I was working to release a book by the end of 2020. Obviously, that didn't happen. Just a couple of days after I wrote that, I ended up in the ER with severe stomach pains. A couple of days after that, I was at the surgery center having my gallbladder removed. Recovery didn't quite go as quickly or smoothly as I had hoped, either.

The holidays were a study in chaos. Then, shortly after Christmas, my oldest son came home from work with muscle pains and a cough. I'm sure you already know where this is headed. He tested positive for Covid-19, and of course, that meant everyone else in the house contracted it as well. 

We were fortunate that our symptoms were fairly mild. In fact, my youngest had no symptoms at all. For me, it felt like a really bad cold with a lot of fatigue. The cold symptoms passed in about a week, but I'm still struggling with feeling exhausted all the time. 

Now, I could have a pity party. Especially when you add in our leaking roof (that is only 5 years old), a broken toilet, a sick dog, and what I worry is the beginning stages of early arthritis. When I look at it all, it does sometimes feel like I just can't catch a break.

​But, such is life.

So, I'm going to be optimistic. I'm going to believe that the bad times will fade, and good things will be waiting just around the corner. 

As for new books, I'm feeling better every day, but writing is still going pretty slowly at this point. For now, I can tell you that the next release will be the third book in the Blackhaven Manor series, and it will be a bit longer than the first two. I'm hoping to release it the first week of February, but it really depends on just how long it ends up being. As soon as I'm confident of a release date, though, I'll announce it. 

Beyond that, I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I do have plans for 2021, though. More books, a new series, a couple of joint projects, and another group giveaway with a brand new FREE story. All of which I'll provide more information for as I know it. 

So, 2020, am I right? It's been quite the rollercoaster, and I can't really say that I'm sorry it's coming to an end.

It hasn't been all bad, though. Back in July, after a lot of hemming, hawing, and hand wringing, I finally made the decision to homeschool my youngest. Not distance learning, but full-on homeschooling. It's been quite the adventure, and far more time consuming than I could have imagined, but it has also been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. After years of struggling through traditional school, my autistic child is finally thriving! I couldn't be prouder of him. 

Still, it is a lot of work, which has left very little time or energy for writing in recent months. I haven't stopped writing completely, but things are going to be a little slow going for a while.

​With that being said, let's get to the updates! 

Mr. Big Shot. *sigh*  I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the book is temporarily on hold...again. I finally realized that the reason the story was giving me so many problems was that it just didn't fit into the +One series. The good news is that when it's finished, it should be more than double in length. I have a few other projects in the works right now, so I'm not sure when I'll get back to it, but probably later in 2021. 

Fearless. The third and final book of the Friction trilogy was originally scheduled to release in the summer. Then Covid happened, and it got pushed back to Fall. Then homeschooling (and life) happened, and it had to be pushed back again. As of this posting, I'm really not sure when it's going to be released. I'm tentatively hoping to have it out some time in the Spring, but that date is pretty fluid at the moment.

So, do I have anything concrete to tell you? Unfortunately, no. I'm still writing. I'm working on some different things, starting a couple of new series, and generally just following where the muse takes me. I'm going to try to have a new book out before the end of the year, but I don't know exactly when or even which book yet. (I have a couple that are close to being finished.)

I'll check in again in a couple of weeks, and hopefully, by then, I'll have something to actually tell you. So, hang in there, keep washing your hands, and stay safe.

​And to my American friends, I wish you all a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving!

It's day five of the official lockdown in my city, day 20-something of #socialdistancing, and day... 9,000?? of my kids being home from school. We're also headed into week 3 of online distance learning, and let's just say I am not cut out to be a teacher.

But, otherwise, me and mine are safe, healthy, and doing our part to #flattenthecurve. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting to have everyone in my family constantly in and out of my office for the past 3 weeks. I also wasn't expecting to have to homeschool two teenage boys.

Finding time to write (without interruptions, distractions, or crippling anxiety) has been a challenge. I was supposed to have Mr. Big Shot, the second book of the +One series, finished and off to my editor by now. Well, guys, that hasn't happened. I'm still working on it, but it's not the book that has been calling to the muse. After two weeks of trying to fight it, I finally had to accept that it wasn't the story I wanted to be writing. 

Honestly, I think I just needed a major break from reality, and what better way than vampires, shifters, werewolves, and faeries to accomplish that?

So, Night and Fae: Blackhaven Manor, Book 2 will be releasing in April instead.  I know it's not the book you were expecting for April, but I hope you'll enjoy it just as much.

As for Mr. Big Shot...it's coming. I'm hoping to have it out in May, but I might have to push it back to a June release. It's really a wait-and-see game at this point, and like everyone else, I'm taking it one day at a time. As soon as I have a clearer idea of when I can have it ready, I'll be sure to post an update. 

Until then, wash your hands, stay inside if you can, and be safe!