A new book baby is born

I'm interrupting my usual Fitness Friday post today for a very special announcement. I haven't been that great with my workouts lately anyway. And this is something I am super excited about.

Introducing my latest achievement ....

Cover by Stacie Ricklefs Photo + Design

Summary:
Kate Marks is hitting it out of the park as general manager of the Portland Pioneers. Her childhood friend Reid Benjamin is struggling to hit anything at all and, as a result, has suddenly found himself out of a job. When Kate hires him as hitting coach for the Pioneers, she's determined to keep everything strictly professional, but she has underestimated Reid's charm. His proximity has forced her to face a past she would rather forget. Reid wants another chance, but Kate isn't convinced he's changed his game.

I started writing this story more than 10 years ago, and it had an audience of one. I lost my one-person audience when there were just 40 pages written and the story just kind of took a backseat for a while. I kept it on a thumb drive that somehow never got lost in my many moves over the next few years. I picked the story back up during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in 2012 and finished it a few months later. Well, I finished writing it anyway.  But it wasn't done.

I put it aside again for a bit while life changes happened. Last year, I decided it was probably time to start editing it and getting the book out there for people to read. I recruited some beta readers to help me with edits and proofreading. They offered fantastic feedback and ideas, which I worked with as I went through the story again. And again. And again.

I have probably read this book more than a dozen times.  I'm sure I didn't catch every little thing, but I'm ready to let it go out into the world as it is.

Then I worked with a girl I knew from high school (and to whom I remained connected on Facebook) on the cover concept and design. I am so thrilled with the way it turned out.

I'm so overjoyed to share this book, which is the first in a series of baseball romance novels I plan to release over the next few years.

"Dropped Third Strike" will be available on June 6, 2016. You can pre-order it here if you are so inclined. You can also add it to your bookshelf on GoodReads.

I plan to have a book release celebration locally on the day of the launch. I'll also be doing an online celebration via my Facebook author page if you're interested in joining the fun.

The next few weeks are going to be a whirlwind. I feel a bit narcissistic celebrating this book in such a big way, but I am very proud of it. Writing might not make me a lot of money, but it gives me a lot of joy. I am so thankful to the support I received from family, friends, and fellow writers throughout this process.