Posted on by doreenmcmillan

On to the next…

Today is the day I move on to the next novel. I’m thinking of writing an urban fantasy series. The first three books I wrote (not under my current pen name) were kind of a paranormal “attempted” series but…that didn’t go so well. I hadn’t honed my craft at that point.

I already know this one will be written in first-person. I seem to like to do paranormal that way. So far, Hocking Hills is the only novel I’ve written under my pen name in first-person–and that story is paranormal. Twisted and Grudge were written in third-person.

That’s what I like about self-publishing. If I want to write something on a whim, I can just do it. It puts the “fun” in writing for me. So, in the meantime, I’ll be busy writing.

Posted on by doreenmcmillan

Get ready for Laurel and Jace…

Sometimes it’s hot, and sometimes it’s cold.

See how Laurel and Jace figure out the attraction they have for each other while Laurel finds herself knee-deep in quicksand.

ARC copies are available starting April 3rd on Netgalley until May 3rd.

Kindle release is April 7th, 2023.

How far would you be willing to go to get an A on a test?

That question plagues seventeen-year-old Laurel Anderson when she is confronted about the possibility of not graduating from high school towards the end of her senior year.

A plan was made with friends at a sleepover. But everything goes horribly wrong, and they all vow to keep what happened that night a secret.

Then Laurel meets Jace Messina whose hot and cold attraction toward her becomes intriguing when she takes a chance on an offer from him that she can’t refuse.

But as soon as she starts to have a glimmer of hope, everything falls apart. Bad decisions are not forgotten–especially by someone who has their eye on her for vengeance.

Posted on by doreenmcmillan

Upcoming News…

Hello readers!

I’ve been so preoccupied with getting my next book ready that I realized I haven’t posted anything on my blog lately.

I’m excited to say that I have a new release coming out on April 7th. This is the fastest I’ve written a novel, and I believe it’s because I did not edit it chapter by chapter like I did with my previous books. I kept writing and working on it until the final chapter. Once I knew it was finished, I went back and did editing and proofreading.

Since I work a full-time job in addition to writing novels, it took me a year to complete the story and another couple of months to do self-editing, give it to beta readers, etc. I know a year may sound like a long time to write a novel, but I could only write on the weekends while I was working my other job, or while I was on summer break–which is my most productive time.

So I am happy to finally have it completed and I’m looking forward to it being released! This was the most focused I’ve ever been while writing a story, so I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I’ll have an additional post with the book cover, synopsis, and opportunities for advanced reader copies next week.

Hope you’ll stay tuned.

Posted on by doreenmcmillan

Cover Reveal for Kindle Vella

I figured I’d post the cover and synopsis I have for my new serialized story Twisted. So here it is!

Seventeen-year-old Briella begins her senior year at a new school in a new town where she meets Caitlyn Cartwright who went from friend to frenemy within the few months she’d gotten to know her. Their friendship is tested when Briella becomes secretly infatuated with Caitlyn’s ex-boyfriend, and a  malicious lie comes between them.

But when Caitlyn makes an attempt to mend things, Briella finds herself caught up in a web of lies where one of them becomes a target and the other becomes a victim.

New serialized story coming soon on Kindle Vella
Posted on by doreenmcmillan

Kindle Vella

The word about Kindle Vella has spread rapidly online ever since I received notice about it back in April. I’ve read all of the guidelines for Kindle Vella and many online posts from other authors who’ve been writing about this new incentive for writers from Amazon.

After much consideration, I’ve decided the timing of this will be perfect for my new novel, Twisted.

I’ve always been intrigued by serialized fiction and I had my first experience with serializing when I put my novel, Hocking Hills, on Wattpad. I thought this platform was great, but I fell by the wayside with this because it required a lot of social media interaction. I found that I just did not have the time that was needed for the purpose of getting my work noticed on this platform, so instead I removed all of my chapters–except the first three–and enrolled Hocking Hills back onto Kindle Unlimited.

I only have two more chapters to complete for Twisted. I already uploaded my first ten chapters live on Kindle Vella and prescheduled four more to be released weekly on a Thursday starting July 15th until it launches this summer. I’ll have a total of twenty chapters by the time it is completed. I figured it would be best to wait before I commit to putting the entire novel up.

Based on my research, Kindle Vella is supposed to perhaps launch sometime in July. I’m hoping Amazon’s new serial fiction platform will be a good marketing strategy for me. It could also be useful for any future novels I write by getting feedback from the reader. But I’ll have to wait and see how it goes.