So, knee surgery went well. It did, however, take me a bit more time to get back into the swing of writing than I had anticipated. But I'm back now, and I have a lot of books planned for the rest of the year. Let's dive right in! ![]() If you missed it, Walking a Tight Trope is now available at Amazon and KU. This story wasn't necessarily supposed to happen-yet-but I had a lot of fun writing it! In love with the idea of love, Oliver McKenzie has made a career out of crafting swoon-worthy romances. He doesn’t need to work at the café in Blackhaven Manor, but the daily interactions fuel his muse and provide him with an unlimited supply of inspiration. He just never imagined he would find his own happily-ever-after within the hotel walls. Contracted to build a gazebo for the upcoming royal wedding, Jarrett Crawford assumes it’s a job like any other. He’ll find out the details, order the supplies, and finish with time to spare. It doesn’t occur to him that the meddlesome dragon who owns the place is setting him up for the hardest fall of his life. But that’s exactly what happens when he meets Oliver. When his new mate comes under psychic attack, Jarrett, of course, takes it personally. While he might be ill-equipped to fight a battle of the mind, he’ll risk everything to protect his elf. Even his own life. ![]() Next up is Beauty and Bad Blood. I finally finished the second Hunters Hollow book! It will release August 31st, and is now available for preorder. When a young woman turns up dead on the banks of the river with half her blood missing, vampires are the obvious suspects. Rogue Masters, however, doesn’t think the case is all that open and shut. As a special agent for the MOA Intelligence Division, it’s his job to find the truth. To do that, the last thing he needs is distractions. So, of course, the most tempting distraction he’s ever seen strolls through the door of the local bakery, not just flipping the script, but rewriting it completely. Stuck in a rut and drowning in his own insignificance, Dylan Murray needs a change. For starters, he needs to make a clean break from his selfish and demanding mother. It’s also probably a good time to swear off men, at least until he can get his life back on track. Spending some time in Hunters Hollow with his best friend is exactly what he needs to turn things around. The small town is quiet, a little boring, and completely free of the drama that plagued him in the city. Now, if he can just stop thinking about a certain sexy vampire with penetrating eyes and a devilish smile, everything would be perfect. Navigating the ups and downs of any new relationship is challenging. Doing so while searching for a killer will test more than just their commitment. When the worst happens, and Dylan joins the list of humans to mysteriously vanish from the French Quarter, Rogue will do whatever it takes to get his new mate back safely. Even if that means becoming the very monster he’s meant to be hunting. Up Next...Loose Lips Sink Ships: Blackhaven Manor, Book 10 is coming late September/early October. I know I just introduced King, but he is incredibly loud and demanding. This will be another lighter book without too much drama or angst. I'm saving all of that for Orrin's books. Yes, Prince Nightstar will finally be getting his story, and it's a doozy. Look for Royally Flocked to release at the end of November. In between the Blackhaven Manor books, I will be releasing the first book of a new series, Hexed and Vexed. This series will take place at the Scottish castle Thade and Micah have transformed into a residential hospital for Otherlings. I'm so excited for this one, and I can't wait for you to read the first book. Hell's Bells will be releasing in early November. Getting social...So, I am finally on Instagram. I have no idea what I'm doing there, but I'm working on it. If you feel so inclined, please follow me. And I think that's about it. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments or feel free to email/message me. :)
Until Next Time XoXo Arden
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Hello Darlings! Just dropping in with a quick update.
For those who aren't aware, I tore my ACL back in February. Along with some other injuries like bone contusions and a MCL sprain. That's not even counting the genetic deformities of that knee that affect its mechanics (but that's a story for another time.) With the joint being unstable, I've re-injured it three times now, which is incredibly painful and makes my knee swell up like a grapefruit. Not fun. ACL reconstruction surgery is scheduled for April 12th. I'm not worried or nervous or anything like that, but I'm not looking forward to the recovery, either. In the meantime, I've been doing "prehab" with a physical therapist to ensure that my muscles are in good condition before surgery so I can heal faster afterwards. I've also had a slew of doctor appointments, tests, and pre-op screenings. Then, of course, just the general life stuff that comes with being an adult. With all of this going on, it's been hard to find the time or energy to write, so I'm a little behind schedule. This means Walking a Tight Trope won't be releasing in March, but you won't have to wait too long for it. I would really like to get it released before my surgery, so sometime in the second week of April. As soon as I'm able, I'll be diving back into Beauty and Bad Blood to get that finished and released. I don't really know when that will be right now. From experience, painkillers and writing do not mix, so it's kind of a wait-and-see game. Hopefully, I won't need to take more than a week off, though. Everyone please send positive vibes, and I'll check in with you soon! Until Next Time, XoXo Arden The past four-ish months have been...interesting. There were a lot of good things that happened. A trip to Orlando. A trip to Puerto Rico. A beautiful and extravagant wedding in Houston. (Not mine. I got married in a tiny church 20 years ago with less than a dozen people present. The entire thing, including my dress and the rings, cost less than $150.) There was also some not so great stuff that happened. Depression, made worse by Seasonal Affective Disorder. A slipped lumbar disc. A torn LCL (that's the ligament on the outside of your knee.) And can we just talk about the price of eggs for a second?! I wanted to make an angel food cake, but I didn't want to take out a second mortgage. Beauty and Bad Blood is still coming. I will finish it. Just not yet. I know I said it would "definitely" be out in November, but well, here we are. Shortly after my last update, I just hit a wall. Ran smack into it like Wile E. Coyote. This would be around the time I was having what my therapist likes to call a "Major Depressive Episode." At her suggestion, I did something I've never done before. I agreed to show myself the same grace and kindness I'd offer to any of my friends who are struggling. I also decided to try an experiment and just write whatever popped into my head. No matter what story, what series, whatever, I would just...write. A novel concept, I know. This resulted in 7 new story ideas, 4 new WIPs, one completed novella, and another that is almost finished. I am currently working on cleaning up Mr. Big Shot, Book 3 of the +One series, and it will be headed to my editor soon. I don't have an exact release date yet, but probably sometime within the next two weeks. Then, I'll be wrapping up Walking a Tight Trope, the next book in the Blackhaven Manor series. More details on this later, but you can anticipate its release in March. (She says, knowing her track record with deadlines is shit.) After that, I will be diving back into Beauty and Bad Blood with new enthusiasm. Now that the brain fog is lifting, I know exactly where I went wrong and what I need to do to move forward. I do not know when this book will release. I'm not even going to give an estimate. I feel like I jinx myself every time I do. I'm also not going to promise regular updates because, let's be honest, I suck at it. I will, however, definitely post once the books go live. You can also get a notification right to your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter. I'm lazy, and I only send out newsletters when I have a release or an event, so you will never be inundated with emails from me. Until Next Time! XoXo - Arden Just a quick update on Beauty and Bad Blood. So, my wonderful, awesome, fantabulous husband surprised me with a trip to Puerto Rico! It was my fist time leaving the continental US and my first time swimming in the ocean. I didn't write while we were gone. I didn't even take my laptop. I had an amazing time, however, and I feel recharged and ready to tackle the end of the this book now! My characters are still doing things to surprise me, so I haven't written the new blurb yet. Honestly, I'll probably wait until closer to the end to do that. I'm still estimating this book will be about 85k when it's finished, which means, I'm right around three-quarters finished. Beauty and Bad Blood will definitely be out in November, but as of right now, I don't have a release date. I'm nearing the finish line though, so hopefully, I'll have another update to share in the next week or so. Until next time! XoXo ~ Arden Just a quick update to let you guys know that I'm still working on Beauty and Bad Blood. Life has just been kind of a mess lately. Not only have I been extremely busy, but it feels like March and most of April was just one disaster after another. Lightning hit our house and destroyed a lot of electronics, including a brand new television. It also damaged some of the wiring, so we didn't have electricity to two rooms or our smoke detectors for a bit. Someone wrecked into our car in the parking lot and just drove off. The garage door stopped working. Two of our irrigation lines started leaking. Someone stole my credit card number AND my email address??? I could go on, but you get the idea. Things are still pretty hectic, but I'm carving out time to make some real progress on this book. My goal (plan? hope?) is to have Beauty and Bad Blood released by the end of May. This story is looking to be between 70-75k, so we'll see if I can make it happen, Cap'n. I'm also not sure if I will put this one on preorder or not. It'll largely depend on my editor's schedule, but I should know more in a couple of weeks. Until then, here's the cover and blurb! When bodies start turning up around New Orleans with the entirety of their blood volume missing, vampires are the obvious suspects, at least at first glance. Rogue, however, doesn’t think the case is all that open and shut. As a special agent for the MOA Intelligence Division, it’s his job to find the real killer and clear his fellow nightwalkers. To do that, the last thing he needs is distractions. So, of course, the most tempting distraction he’s ever seen strolls through the door of the local bakery, not just flipping the script, but rewriting it completely. Stuck in a rut and drowning in his own insignificance, Dylan Murphy needs a change. For starters, he needs to make a clean break from his selfish and demanding mother. It’s also probably a good time to swear off men, at least until he can get his life back on track. Spending a little time in Hunters Hollow is exactly what he needs to turn things around. The small town is quiet, a little boring, and completely free of the drama that plagued him in the city. Now, if he can just stop thinking about a certain sexy vampire with penetrating eyes and a devilish smile, everything would be perfect. Navigating the ups and downs of any new relationship is challenging. Doing so while searching for a killer will test more than just their commitment. When the worst happens, and Dylan joins the list of humans to mysteriously vanish from the French Quarter, Rogue will do whatever it takes to get his new mate back safely. Even if that means becoming the very monster he’s meant to be hunting. I feel like it's been forever since I've been able to say this, but this week was amazeballs! As many of you know, my oldest moved out (and all the way to freaking Florida) last summer. This week was the first time I've gotten to see him since August! We had awesome adventures at the Museum of Illusions and the Dallas World Aquarium (which has a surprising lack of aquatic animals.) I cooked all of his favorite foods. We had game nights and talked about life. I'm sad that he's gone, of course, but I'm also so freaking proud of him! Now, it's back to regularly scheduled life, which means I finally have a release date for All That Glitters! Unfortunately, my editor is still sick, though she is showing signs of improvement. To be on the safe side, I've decided to push back the release for one more week to give her a chance to fully recover and to make sure we both have enough time to dedicate to edits. So, without further ado, I give you All That Glitters: A Nocturne Bay Story, now available for pre-order on Amazon! All That GLitters: A Nocturne Bay Story |