Pearl Hewitt

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I have a new audiobook for readers to enjoy!

I’m thrilled to announce a new audiobook release from the talented narrator, Pearl Hewitt. Treat your ears to dazzling Regency romantic suspense with A Holiday Code for Love. 

A Christmas house party becomes a covert operation to trap a French spy. Can the honorable John Bonnington protect his wife from their guest’s murderous intentions? Can Abbie Bonnington protect her husband from his ex-mistress’ intentions to seduce him into revealing Crown secrets?

Can Abbie and Jack continue the charade of hosting the perfect holiday party as danger, treachery, and treason swirl in the ballroom?

Enjoy the passionate, suspenseful regency world of the Code Breakers,where daring lords and ladies decode the path to happily ever after, amidst their dangerous, heroic fight against Napoleon’s treacherous designs.

Look for it on Audible, iTunes and Amazon!

An Author Assistant in Seattle

Hello, everyone. Jacki Delecki is currently recuperating from knee replacement surgery so she’s invited me to write this week’s blog post. Since I just returned from my first visit to Seattle, where I (finally!) met Jacki in person after working with her for two years, I thought I’d share my impressions of the The Emerald City.

The first thing I learned upon my arrival in Seattle is that the city lies on Puget Sound, not the Pacific Ocean. By car, it’s about four hours to the coast. Mt. Rainier lies south of the city and visibility depends on the weather. The day I arrived was 75 and clear as a bell so I was treated to a panoramic view of the region. I’m not a sports fan, but I was impressed by Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks football team. It’s huge!

I spent the first few days in Seattle with a friend at the The Arctic Club Seattle. This hotel is situated in a historic building, a former men’s club, that dates back to the early 1900s. Our room on the fourth floor offered cozy window seats, the perfect place to curl up on a rainy Seattle afternoon and watch the city life below.

In keeping with the period charm of our hotel, we had dinner at The Metropolitan Grill steakhouse. We splurged and ordered the Chateaubriand, which was carved table-side. Definitely planning another visit there on my next trip to Seattle.

I was most eager to visit Pike Place Market. On our walk to this waterfront marketplace, I visited the Gum Wall, had fish and chips at Ivar’s and became addicted to Ellenos Greek yogurt (we went back twice in two days).

Jacki’s fans know that one of her favorite activities is guiding children’s tours through Pike Place Market. She gave me a private tour and amazed me with her knowledge. I learned that there are red musical notes painted on the ground throughout the market which indicate where musicians and street performers can set up and entertain the crowds for a two-hour block of time. Sometimes they post their business cards on a nearby pole to claim a certain day and time. The market also features colorful murals and odd light fixtures suspended at odd angles–even upside down!–around the marketplace.

Coming from Florida but growing up in Michigan, I was thrilled for a few days of cool, overcast, rainy autumn weather.

My trip to Seattle included attendance at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue. Jacki and I presented a workshop on working with an author assistant, but the best part was working the Passport to Romance reader appreciation event with Jacki. I got to meet some of her fans, as well as Pearl Hewitt, who narrates Jacki’s Code Breakers series.

If you’ve never been to Seattle, put it on your Bucket List. The city vibe is a funky mix between New York City and San Francisco, located in one of the most breathtaking regions of the U.S. Now that I’ve been there, I can’t wait to re-read the Grayce Walters books to find some of the actual locations Jacki incorporates into the stories and say, “Hey, I was there!”

Pearl Hewitt on the Emerald City Writers' Conference

Last weekend was the Emerald City Writers Conference and Passport to Romance Reader Appreciation Event. Audiobook narrator Pearl Hewitt shares a few highlights.

I had the opportunity to meet many readers and some very enthusiastic audiobook listeners at the Passport to Romance Reader Appreciation Event. It was a very successful evening of laughter, chatter and giveaways. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

The presentation on how to Successfully Create an Audiobook went very well although it was a little rushed toward the end because the volume of information is large and many questions were asked by interested authors who seriously want to move into the audiobook minefield. I was happy to help get the word out and encouraged authors to branch out into the audiobook world and take advantage of this extra income source.

Thanks, Pearl, for sharing your experience with my readers!

Bringing a Regency hero to life

I don’t like to make generalizations but it seems like many historical novels focus on the goals, motivation and conflict as it relates to the heroine. A marriage of convenience. A compromised reputation. The orphaned miss who seeks gainful employment. It’s important to remember that heroes need goals and motivations too. As authors, we must create emotionally compelling internal and external conflict for both our heroines and heroes.

While working on research for my book, A CODE OF THE HEART, I came across some interesting facts about Robert Fulton, an American inventor and engineer who is credited with developing the steamboat. During the course of his life, he traveled around the world, collaborating with other inventors and scientists on naval vessels and weaponry. He designed the first working submarine while in France before switching alliances and moving to England, where he was commissioned to build weapons for the Royal Navy. One of Fulton’s “secret weapons” was the torpedo-catamaran, which the British Navy hoped to use to blow French ships out of the water. Like many inventions, the early model had some functionality issues, but I was intrigued by the concept of French-British espionage.

When I began developing my characters for the story, I started wondering what it would take to redeem a disreputable young rake. Perhaps protecting his country by preventing a secret weapon from falling into the wrong hands would work. So that is exactly the challenge I put in front of Lord Derrick Brinsley, as well as the not-so-small matter of proving his worth to the very proper society miss, Amelia Bonnington.

By using the information I discovered during my research, I was able to create strong goals and conflicts for my hero, thus adding dimension to him on the pages of my book. Audiobook narrator Pearl Hewitt has been working with me over the last few weeks to make Derrick “sound” like a Regency hero. The audiobook version of A CODE OF THE HEART is in the final stages of production and will soon be available. I hope you’ll listen in and let me know what you think of Derrick and Amelia Bonnington, the heroine of the story.

Click on the audiobook cover for A CODE OF THE HEART to listen to a sample.

Audiobook survey and a chance to win!

I am in the final stages of production with the talented Pearl Hewitt, who is narrating A CODE OF THE HEART for release as an audiobook.

I’m curious about who listens to audiobooks, as well as when, where and why. For a chance to win my new audiobook, A CODE OF THE HEART, click HERE to complete a quick 5-question survey. I’ll announce the winner on June 30.