Many thanks to the fabulous JA Coffey for her help in making this design--and my 'brand'--beautiful. If you haven't heard of her, go check out her books. She's got a beautiful historical  fiction (with romantic elements), and two incredibly sexy contemporary romances. Like, whew-turn-up-the-AC levels of hotness. Seriously. Check out her delicious Southern Seductions series. And then go have a sit-down afterwards... you'll need it. 

Did I mention they were super-sexy? :) 

Éirinn go Brách! 

Hi there, romance readers! This is just a quick post to tell you about a cool collection some of my author friends have put together. It's a totally FREE compilation of 'micro' stories, so you could read them ALL in one sitting, or one every few minutes. It's a cute way to get in the St. Patrick's Day spirit!

Click the picture below to get it for Kindle

...or here to get it for any e-reader. 

Drafted Feb. 3, 2015:

Today I got a surprise from past-Me; a small box from Amazon. It was Terry Pratchett’s latest book, a collection of short stories called Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales, that I’d pre-ordered months ago and then forgotten. Well, of course I opened it, and despite my vow to wait on the last Discworld book*, I read the first story.

(*You see, Sir Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease many years ago, and that means that his writing has slowed down significantly. That means that one day—maybe one day soon—he’ll be gone, and there will be no more new Pratchett books. That means that there will be a time when I read one of his books for the first time, and it’ll be my last-ever chance to do that. And call me foolish, but I want to savor that moment, to be aware of it. So his last Discworld book Raising Steam is still sitting on my shelf, untouched. But this collection—short stories he wrote as a teenager, bound together in an effort to please his fans—didn’t count towards that Ceremony, I figured. So I read the first chapter.)

I quickly realized that while these weren’t earth-shattering, they were still fun stories. Stories that I’d like to share with my oldest son who, since starting Kindergarten in the fall, has become as voracious a reader as his mother. These are cute stories with morals and knights and dragons and humor. 

Pretty much everything I’d come to expect from Terry Pratchett. 

You see, I’m something of a Pratchett Expert. I first read his books as a tween (only we didn’t call that age “tweens” back then), and have read them multiple times since then. His Discworld books have become something of a Sacred Text for me. Sure, they’re fantasy, and not even high fantasy… but they’re much more than that. They’re satire and spoof and sociology and hilarious. They’re about the way we interact with each other and our world and events, and they’re chock-full of clever, pithy, oh-so-quotable sayings (ask me about Vimes’ “Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness” sometime). 

So yes: Terry Pratchett’s books have influenced the way I think about the world, and about people around me. Terry Pratchett’s books have taught me how to find myself, and how to develop my own beliefs. 
Terry Pratchett’s books have shaped me into the person I am today. 

So you see, Terry Pratchett’s books really are something of Sacred Texts to me. 
I’ve read them for years and years. I’ve lived my life by them. 
I’ve quoted them and trusted them when I needed guidance. 
I’ve relied on their advice. 
They’ve made me me. 

And that’s remarkable, considering that the plots themselves are made up of dwarves and trolls and bitter cops and snarky witches (although Granny’s never been my favorite) and an orangutan librarian. While the plots are fun, it’s the writing that makes the books remarkable, and Pratchett’s clever way of viewing the world around him (this is why his books don’t translate well to movies). 

So very soon, I’ll be able to introduce my son to that world. I’ll start simple, with this collection of short stories. The plots will be fun, and readable, and probably not as good as Pratchett's later work. But they’ll be enough to interest him. And maybe in a few years, I’ll take my son into my library, and I’ll point to the three solid shelves of Pratchett books, and I’ll describe the plots, and help him choose which one to start with. It’ll be a big moment for me; introducing my son to something that I love and something that’s had so much of an effect on me. 

And because he’s my mini-me, I fully expect them to shape his life the way they shaped mine. 

And I’ll be proud if they do.