Thursday Tidbit: Now What?

Other than some editing tweaks, a few new scenes possibly, and a last read-through, I'll officially be finished with Fern & Zula (the cozy mystery involving the 2 retirees in a senior community). Oh yeah, and I chose my pen name. The winner: Ellie Marks.

So . . . now what should I work on? I've already got some stories I've started, but I'm unsure which plow to put my hand to. Which of the following back cover copies interests you most?

CHOICE #1: A HEART EXPOSED

Genre: Historical Fiction / Book 2 following A Heart Deceived

RAND wants nothing more from life than to be left alone. And for good reason. If people knew of his past, he’d be shunned. So he hides his secrets in the deepest, darkest place he can find—his heart. It’s a good plan.

But it’s not God’s plan.

Which is exactly what ABIGAIL DAWSON questions. If God indeed has a plan for her life, why does everything happen too soon or too late? Like meeting Rand. Why could she not have met him before getting stuck in an abusive marriage?

Influenced by the writings of William Cowper, both Rand and Abigail learn that while time waits for no man, neither will it pass without revealing the contents of the heart…exposing far more than either expects.

CHOICE #2: UNDEROATH

Genre: Time Travel / Book 2 following Undercurrent

How long can innocence survive in a fierce world ruled by violence and greed?

Undergrad and overeager, TAMMY JENKINS stumbles into a time and place she was never meant to be. Amongst a people honoring ruthlessness and ferocity, her naiveté could be the death of her—or others.

Cynical slave trader NJALL, indulges in every vice life can offer, all to fill the emptiness gnawing his soul. When a foreign woman breaches the wall he hides behind, his rogue façade crumbles, leaving him vulnerable—a fatal disadvantage for a Norseman.

Rogaland’s chieftain and his new bride, CASSIE, pledge never to part, a vow broken against their wills. Only a deep faith in Jesu can sustain her, but are Cassie’s convictions solid enough to withstand the horrors she must face?

Transcend the constraints of time in UNDEROATH, Book II of the Nordisk Saga—an ageless tale of love and truth.

CHOICE #3: MOORE'S MAIDEN

Genre: Historical Fiction / Book 2 following Brentwood's Ward 

(not published...yet)

Officer ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gambler to expose a traitorous plot against the king—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and reputation as a crack Bow Street Runner or the woman he’s come to love.

CHOICE #4: CAPTIVE OF THE HEART

Genre: Historical Fiction / Book 1 in Edge of Freedom series 

(not published or written...yet)

Is independence worth the price of slavery?
It is if your life depends upon it.

On the run from a cruel employer, British governess ELEANOR MORGAN escapes to America, the land of the free. But liberty is hard to come by as an indentured servant, and impossible if she agrees to an even harsher contract—marriage.

SAMUEL HEATH wants a wife, not a governess. The lifestyle of a trapper in the wild is no life for an infant, but neither is abandonment into the arms of strangers. For the sake of his daughter, he decides to marry again, an impossible task because there’s a stigma attached to his name—murderer.

Both Eleanor and Samuel are survivors, accustomed to overcoming trials and hardships, but this time they must face their biggest challenge ever . . .

Love.