Rox reads… more books!
- At October 10, 2023
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Rox reads… Books, Books and More Books!
I’ve got so much to tell you, friends! Did this past winter seem longer than usual to you? I’m so happy to see the sun again and watch all the color reappear after those seemingly endless grey days. It’s been quiet from me, I know, but I’ve been very busy and finally, I can tell you what I’ve been doing!
But first. I’ve read some wonderful books over the past few months and I’d like to share a few with you.
1. maddadam by Margaret Atwood. The third in her MaddAddam trilogy, following Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, this post-apocalyptic tale is seductive, hypnotic, super-creepy and brilliant. After reading about pigoons, a human-pig hybrid, I’ll never look at bacon the same way.
2.Her Spy to Have by Paula Altenburg. The first in her Spy Games series, this novel is a tightly-plotted globe-trotting cat-and-mouse game as well as a touching love story and I can’t wait for the next installment.
3.The Color of Destiny by Julianne MacLean. The second in her Color of Heaven series, this was a total palate-cleanser for me, a spiritual and emotional story, not inspirational per se, but definitely inspiring.
4.In the Waning Light by Loreth Ann White. This romantic suspense-thriller kept me up way too late. I’ve read several other books by this new-to-me author and I’m now a huge fan. This book is a finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA award, and well deserved.
5.A Bramble House Christmas by C.J. Carmichael. A wonderful, heartwarming holiday read, this short contemporary romance is also a RITA finalist!
6.Love Me Tender by Susan Fox. Book 5 in her Caribou Crossing series, this made me go back and read the first four. Book 6, Love Somebody Like You, is yet another well-deserving RITA finalist.
Of course, I’ve read many more books but these stood out for me. What books do you recommend?
And now, my news: I’ve got five – that’s right, five – new books contracted. Two of them are with Tule Publishing‘s Montana Born Books, part of the upcoming Love at the Chocolate Shop ten-book series with four other authors. Mine tell the stories of Madeleine and Deirdre Cash, flighty twin sisters who vow off men in order to be taken seriously, only to find love with men they can’t have. The series, which centers around Marietta, Montana’s Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop, launches October 2016. Maddie’s story, THE CHOCOLATE CURE, will be available digitally in January 2017, with DeeDee’s story THE CHOCOLATE COMEBACK following in April.
If these names sound familiar, you’re right! I introduced Maddie and DeeDee last year in CINDERELLA’S COWBOY, in which they played the roles of evil (not really!) step-sisters.
As for the other three books… drum-roll, please… I’m thrilled to announce that I just signed my first, full-length print deal with Kensington Publishing! It’s for a brand-new contemporary series called Sunset Bay, full of colorful characters, romance, humor and dogs, set on a wellness retreat/dude ranch on the south Oregon coast. Let me just say that the characters running this place are not what they seem to be. Think… Scandal, with Olivia Pope’s “fixers,” but in cowboy boots and aprons.
The first book, SUNSET BAY SANCTUARY, is scheduled for release in 2017 with DRIFTWOOD CREEK and BLACKBERRY COVE to follow.
And as always, happy reading!
Nevertheless, this author persists
- At September 07, 2022
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Life, Roxanne Writes On
- 0
I’m in the home stretch of The Cowboy’s Lost Family for Tule Publishing and as always, the experience is a combination of excitement (it’s going to be so great!!) and abject terror (I will never un-knot this mess, what was I thinking, sob, grovel, check Facebook.)
The Creative Process
There is no Dark Night of the Soul for my characters until I feel it as their creator. There is no resolution for them until there is resolution for me. And the satisfying ending they reach will be nothing to the triumph I’ll feel upon writing THE END.
This is an important series for me. (Now I feel disloyal to the others!) I try to access some truth in myself for all my books, but in this one, I find myself digging deeper. I’m exploring subjects that have a lot of emotion attached to them.
The Search for Identity
These three books (though I may have to go begging for a fourth to tell it fully) are about adoptees searching for identity. But they’re also about the backstory, what it’s like for the mothers and fathers forced by circumstances to relinquish their children. About the grandparents who were part of that decision. About the micro-culture that determined social rules—and the cost of breaking them. The stories of the lost Malones of Grand, Montana, are about fear, pain, shame, regret… and also about discovery, joy, forgiveness and love.
Speaking the Truth
All authors work to tell the truth about human experience. Romance authors work to tell the truth specifically about the experiences of women. Our genre is about women discovering what they want, and then taking action to get it. It’s about courage in a world where many women’s voices still remain secondary. Where they’re told (directly or indirectly) that they should sit down and let someone else decide what’s best for them.
So, here’s me, getting into the final push of this book, taking courage from someone who refused to sit down and shut up, because Nevertheless she persisted. She believed in the power of her words. I believe in mine. I believe in yours. Whatever you’re struggling with today, reader, persist.
Love Note from the Lake: May ’21
Our first time kayaking this season! It was chilly to start, but ended up being a perfect morning. See how placid the water is?
To our surprise, we weren’t even sore afterward. We’ll definitely be doing this more often!
Wild Sky Romance Box Set: Now available
Includes all four e-books in the Wild Sky Romance series:
Volume 1: Montana Dawn
Volume 2: Wild Sky Redemption
Volume 3: Wild Sky Treasure
Volume 4: Wild Sky Healing
Wild Sky Redemption: Just released in paperback from Amazon!
“…epic and endearing… pick up this one. You won’t regret it.” – Cary Morton, Amazon
“…a heart-wrenching but amazing feel-good read that’s hard to put down.” -The Romance Reviews
“Ranches + Romance = Montanan Approved! Loved it!” -RhiReading
Montana Dawn: Also available in paperback from Amazon!
“… a fresh voice that will appeal to fans of Mallery, Higgins and Gibson…” -BW, NetGalley
“Ms. Snopek’s style is wonderful and so easy to read…” -HarlequinJunkie
“…. thoroughly enjoyable… strong, warm characters who come to life on the page.”
-NYT & USA TODAY Bestselling Author RaeAnne Thayne
Today’s Love Note:
My Love Note for today goes out to Shari Drehs Bartholomew who I can only call a SUPER-READER. She’s one of my earliest fans, and while she has a long career as a Registered Nurse, her real passion is reading.
Shari knows as much or more about this genre as anyone and she’s earned that knowledge by not just how much she reads, but by how she connects with authors. Shari participates in on-line author events, she’s a thoughtful and consistent reviewer, and here’s the kicker: she spends her vacation time traveling to various author and reader events, collecting autographed copies, and even giving gifts to her favourite authors.
I was lucky enough to meet Shari in person at the 2018 Romance Writers of America conference in Denver, Colorado, where she surprised me with coasters laminated with two of my book covers! (I put these in a Safe Place for the move… and haven’t unearthed them yet, or I’d show you, <headdesk>)
And it wasn’t just me; she made gifts like this for all her favourite authors, carrying them around with her until she had a chance to present them personally.
Thank you, Shari, for being a sister book-lover. I’m so glad I got to share a hug with you in person and can’t wait to see you again!
The Covers Shari Chose:
These two books fit into my Montana Home series, as well as the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. You can see why she chose them, right? I think they’re the prettiest covers of all my books.
That’s it for me, my friend. Until the next Love Note from the Lake… stay well and happy reading!
-Roxanne