Love Note From the Lake: December ’21

Winter has certainly started out with a bang!

As you know, this November, a series of catastrophic atmospheric rivers hit BC. We live minutes from a lake, surrounded by mountain streams and for two weeks, we watched as the one road in and out of our area was flooded, hit by rock- and mudslides, washed out and repaired, repeatedly. We are very lucky that no homes were damaged here. 

In our old neighbourhood it’s a different story. On the right, you’ll see an aerial photo of TransCanada Highway #1 and the Whatcom Road exit in Abbotsford, BC. Heading west is Vancouver; heading east is the rest of the country.

Our animal hospital is located inside the red circle at the top right of the photo. The area was evacuated so we were unable to get inside for about a week, but again, we were lucky to have no damage to the premises itself.

You can see the devastation all around us, though. Many, many commercial farms—dairy, vegetable, poultry, egg, beef—were all but destroyed. It’s heartbreaking.

When life is hard, readers, is when we need each other more than ever. The goodness, generosity and kindness we’ve witnessed all around us has been overwhelming. Many people also told me how, when the constant bad news was overwhelming, they turned to books. 

There’s a special magic, an intimacy that occurs when two people, separated by time and space, are connected by a story. When one reader can hear the words of one author and be taken out of one place and brought to another and we are reminded that life can and will be wonderful again. 

 

Have you read this Tule Christmas story? (I actually teared up while writing this one.)

This is a reunion story of two hearts torn apart by life.

Right now, many people are going through challenges the likes of which they’ve never faced before. Stories help us see who others have triumphed over the darkness.  

This one brought me special Christmas joy; I hope it does the same for you.

 

 

 

Love Note: Jane Porter

One writer who is exceptionally good at bringing hope is New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter. I met Jane in 2013 at an author signing event. Our tables were nearby so we got to chatting. When she kindly showed interest in my series, I asked if she’d read an advance copy of my upcoming book, for a cover quote. 

When you’re new in this business, endorsements by established authors are A Big Deal, and most authors, no matter how generous, simply don’t have time to read all the manuscripts they get offered.

Jane agreed—with a condition. “I’m launching a new project,” she said. “I want you to write me a story.”

She couldn’t divulge details yet but of course, I agreed. I mean, Jane Porter was going to give me a cover quote. OF COURSE I agreed!

That project was Tule Publishing. The story she endorsed became Wild Sky Healing, with my cheeky veterinarian heroine.

The story she requested became Her Montana Hero, the first in my beloved Montana Home series.

Jane invited me into what is now a thriving publishing house, with 178 authors and a catalog of more than 800 titles. Jane, who has a degree in screenwriting, has gone on to make film deals for many Tule books. From the beginning, Jane wanted to create an author-centric publishing house where writers could pen the stories they loved, get the support they needed AND earn an income from their work.

Last summer, while I was on a much-needed writing break, Jane asked if I wanted to try my hand at editing. That was the impetus for me to begin the Simon Fraser University Editing Program. In 2021 I did structural edits on six full-length manuscripts, and will complete my editing certificate in January, 2022. (It’s been a busy year and to be honest, I’m tired of studying!)

In an industry known for being cutthroat and heartless, Jane Porter and her brilliant combination of creativity, energy and business acumen has created something unique. Her gift for attracting talented, committed people means that the Tule team is the best I’ve ever worked with. And under it all is love. For stories. For readers. For this crazy industry. And for authors.

Thank you, Jane Porter, for everything. This Love Note’s for you.

News from Roxanne’s Writing World

Entangled Publishing has licensed two of my titles to KISS, a new app for digital reading. KISS is a new and exciting way to experience romance stories of all genres. Enjoy serialized quality content from NYT and USA Today bestselling authors, available right from your phone.

KISS has hundreds of titles and authors to choose from, including new and exclusive content from some of your favourite voices!

KISS uses a pay-as-you-go format, so you can read as much or as little as you like, using “coins.”

That’s it for me, my friend. Until the next Love Note from the Lake… stay well, be kind and happy reading. Merry Christmas!