How cute is this cover? I'm so excited for you to read Vin and Abby's journey to love and healing. This book is light and quirky and full of holiday charm. As promised, it's a "clean" romance with a great kiss or two, but beyond that, no spice. I hope you love this newest novel of mine. Be sure to review on Goodreads and tell your friends to grab a copy. Click here to order, or see below for a quick description:

Stranded by a blizzard on Christmas Eve, nurse Abby finds warmth and unexpected love in a cozy cottage with charming Vin, a handsome actor. As she navigates her complicated relationship with her grieving mother, a mysterious key gifted by Ruth Anne may hold the power to heal old wounds. Can Abby unlock the secrets of her heart and embrace a new beginning this holiday season?

Preorder starts October 9th for digital copies. The ebook will deliver to your Kindle on October 25th. Paperbacks will also be available for ordering on October 25th. Thanks so much for your continued support!

⭐ (5)
🌶️​ (3)
This story was so well-written, I found myself shaking my head in silent awe and appreciation SEVERAL times. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a steamy romcom with so many feelings and so much to root for. The ‘rom’ sizzles, and the ‘com’ is on point––I laughed out loud throughout.

Cursed by a mortal enemy, Griffin de Beauford is sentenced to eternity as a stone statue––but he can feel, see, hear, and even visit people in their dreams. He ends up at a Chicago museum under Emily Porter’s care as she struggles to pick up the pieces after a difficult divorce, not the least of these pieces being her professional career. If she can just do a good job with the symposium and restoration, she might be able to come on full-time and gain a little more financial stability in her life. Just before her witchy friend Rose gifts her a magic stone, Emily begins to hear Griffin’s thoughts, and even dreams of him (I won’t give too much away, there!), and a day later, holding the stone, Emily kisses Griffin’s statue, because what the heck, amirite? Griffin comes to life, eternally devoted to his lady Emily, endearingly unacquainted with the modern world, and with plenty of swoonworthy, knight-like language to color Emily’s world a new shade of romance. But a rowdy man barging out of the conservation lab wearing medieval armor––not to mention a now missing statue––happens to be a humongous problem, and Emily feels all eyes and iphones are on her as she hides Griffin, and his armor, in her small Chicago apartment. Things heat up both in the bedroom and later in the boardroom, as the FBI questions the conservationists. Emily isn’t sure there’s a safe way out of this, but she knows she’s no thief–– unless you count the handsome son of an earl sleeping in her bed as stolen property!
​
With excellent character development, genuine surprises, plot twists, and laugh-out-loud moments, Bryn Donovan delivers an emotional, uplifting, and inspiring love story, that’s also a love letter to Chicago. I was rooting for Griffin, feeling so bad for him being trapped as a statue, and I was cheering on Emily as her insecurities gave way to her HEA. Even though I don’t read sex scenes (I skim a few parts in order to skip them––personal choice), there is PLENTY to love for “wholesome” readers like myself, and for those who love the steam, I’m sure they’ll relish the long, detailed depictions of Emily’s encounters with Griffin! All in all, I’m overjoyed to give this book five well-earned stars. You will not be disappointed if you pick this one up!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
🌶 (0/5)
🎚(1/5)

💫 Powerful and heartwarming in the freshest way. 💫

Josie leaves Julian behind when duty, in the form of her autistic brother, calls her away from college and back to her mountain hometown after her father's untimely death. Lonely but loyal, Josie takes an uncharacteristic leap of faith for her brother Nick by moving temporarily down to Rosemary Beach for a competition that's right up his alley.

Ahhh but Julian. He loved the beach, too, thanks to Josie's suggestion that they visit it while in college, a trip she never got to make. And guess what, when she travels there, she runs into him––he moved there and he's still as dreamy as ever.

The will-they-won't-they throughout this book is delicious, as are the vivid descriptions of the gulf coast. I want to go! I cried throughout the beginning of this book, and I felt so seen through all of Josie's struggles as someone who has in the past been low-income. Those frugal/scarcity mindsets don't easily leave us. I was so proud of Josie for taking off those shackles and following her heart and letting "love guide [her]", as her trusty compass suggested.

This is a tale of found family (some entirely new, and some that had been there all along, though Josie didn't realize it) with a genuine surprise twist that I did not see coming. You think the author is setting you up for one thing--and you're not wrong about it--but then another thing comes entirely out of left field and fits in so very nicely.

All in all, an inspiring and emotional read that I recommend to all sweet romance fans.
Link: ​https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Hour-Powerful-Heartwarming-Summer/dp/B0D2T5T9QQ

PINNACLE AUTHOR PUBLISHES FIRST NOVEL By Terri Flagg 04/04/2024
https://www.thestokesnews.com/news/pinnacle-author-publishes-first-novel/article_4dda925e-f05b-11ee-86ab-1f2a20bc5354.html 

So thrilled to announce my second book deal, this time for a heartwarming contemporary novel called The Silver Lining, which will publish with Harpeth Road Press in May 2025. I received the warmest welcome from the Harpeth Road family, which was founded by the astonishing Jenny Hale, who is one of ten contributing authors to the press's yearly lineup of clean romance. The other nine are just as amazing, from USA Today Bestsellers like Teri Wilson and Nancy Naigle, to debut authors that Jenny Hale took a chance on, and who blew expectations out of the water! I'm so excited to be part of such a prolific group of women, and I'm equally as thrilled to learn from HR's team of professional editors. If you know me, you know I love improving, achieving, and working hard! I'm ready for the long and thorough editing process that will come my way this summer and end in the new year! 

Oh! And they sent me a dozen roses! 

You can learn more about Harpeth Road Press's amazing lineup at www.harpethroad.com/our-authors. 

I just endured the worst spell of writer's block I've ever had. And I think I know why it happened.

The conversation on the online writing community sites such as tiktok, twitter, and instagram always seems to organize authors into two different categories: plotters or pantsers, with varying degrees of each. Plotters are those that outline an entire story before writing. Pantsers start a project that they like and see where it ends up.

I knew I was a plotter. Everything in my entire LIFE is plotted. Why I chose to pants just to see if I liked it is beyond me. I should have known better, but I went for it anyway, and I have to say. . . I hated the experience.

Don't get me wrong––I started off strong! 20,000 words (1/3ish) of an exciting time travel romantic comedy flowed from my fingertips, main plots, love interests, and subplots all appearing naturally, as if by my intuition. I'm always intuitive in the writing process, but relying on my intuition fully proved stressful. I was so stuck at that 20,000 word mark that I didn't know how to proceed. Plot points (since they weren't written down) flowed together, becoming jumbled, and I couldn't remember where the story was headed. I found that I had an idea for the climax of the book (80ish %) but I didn't know what happened from 50-75% to get us there. When I tried to write, I felt frustrated, discouraged, and like I had an arduous task ahead of me, instead of the joyous sprints I'd always enjoyed.

I started to feel like I'd lost my knack.

Enter new Christmas WIP [work in progress]. An idea hit me the other night, as inspiration often does, for the swooniest couple––an actor and a nurse––who are stranded due to snow. Each has other dreams they'd like to fulfill, and despite their chemistry, a few things are still keeping them apart. When the nurse discovers an antique that is related to the actor's great grandmother, solving the mystery behind it will bring healing to his family, but also might just open a place in the actor's heart for her.

OH GOSH. This was good! My mind was spinning. I knew all the things that would happen to lead up to that big holiday kiss, just like in a Hallmark movie.

But then. . . I couldn't write it. The leftover angst from pantsing had discouraged me and made me doubt myself.

So, I sat down to plot the whole thing. It wasn't fun. It wasn't exciting. It didn't flow. I thought maybe I'd never be able to write again. Thankfully, my husband talked me through the plot one night, reassuring me that I did in fact know what all needed to happen, and that I **COULD** put it on paper and make it work. (He's the best!) Over the next two days I was able to finalize my plot. I know where it's going, and I'm up to 8,000 words on my new Christmas romance novel. It's flowing and it's so enjoyable––just like I knew it could be!

Here are a few practical remedies for plotters to overcome writer's block, which helped me through this spell:

1. Plot it all first, even if it's hard. If I don't know where a story is going, I can't write.
2. Talk to a trusted beta reader or friend who can help you plot. My husband came in handy for this.
3. Read what you have so far. It's amazing how what you've written can remind you of the story ahead.
4. Calm down and remember that "the gifts and calling of the Lord are irrevocable". If you had it once, you still have it. If you did it once, you can do it again!

Hoping this helps writers in the same situation! Be sure to head over to the "contact" tab and join my newsletter for updates on new blog posts, my book releases, book signings, and more. It's the best way to stay in the loop!

xx
Audrey

There were times that I never thought I'd be able to say this: my debut historical romance is coming in 2024! I'm so excited to be publishing with Vinspire alongside favorite authors of mine like Pepper Basham. If you think you'd enjoy page-turning suspense and heartwarming romance in a Victorian mansion, this book is definitely for you!

But it almost didn't happen.

My agent and I had "the talk" about this book after it was on submission for over a year. We agreed that it was dead, even though we both loved it and couldn't believe it had failed, and we moved onto other projects. However, my agent's health took a bad turn, thankfully only for a short period of time. During that hospitalization period, I asked her if she minded if I submitted it to small presses while she was recovering. Always supporting my ambitious self, she agreed, and I'm so glad she did because it led me to Vinspire! Within a month of pitching to small presses, I had an offer from Vinspire, another offer from an additional small press, and a bigger house very interested in pursuit. 

I passed on the other small pess offer, but I was torn on the other two for a short time. Vinspire loved my novel for what it was, just as it was. That's all I'd ever wanted––editors to fall in love with my writing. The bigger house wanted to explore an R&R type situation, which would add a substantial amount of words as well as subdue some of the edginess from some of my scenes, which their readers would have enjoyed more if they were calmed a bit. I agreed with their vision for their house, and was willing to put in the work, but ultimately I believe we both felt that an offer in hand was best, rather than speculating about what could be if the manuscript were overhauled. And so, I reached out to Vinspire, thrilled to *ACCEPT*! (I do hope to work with the bigger house in the future on other projects, even if we weren't a fit for this one!)

Now I've been paired with my amazing editor, Kassy. We're in the developmental stage. As a developmental editor myself, I'm super excited to work through her suggestions and make SEVEN DAYS AT MANNERLEY even better than it was before. 

You won't catch me complaining during this process––I know how hard I worked to get here, and I know what a huge blessing it is to debut in this clogged fiction market! I am grateful, thankful, and blessed to be where I am!

It's hard to believe the book of my heart will be hitting shelves in 2024 (hopefully spring). Join my newsletter for updates, or connect with me on socials. Thanks for reading––will update soon! xx