THE BOOK IS DONE (kinda sorta)

Maggie Shayne
Apr 24
4 min read

HONKY TONK COWBOY IS RELEASING AUGUST TWELFTH
Multiple Sales & Bargains Below
Sherrilyn Kenyon's stunning kickstarter, bottom

It's done.

Well, it's not done-done, but it's done. (IYKYK)

I am feeling a full-body sigh today. That's the best way I can describe having finished another novel. The tension in my mind, body, and spirit ramp up along with the tension in the story I'm writing, until by the end, both the story and I have reached a vibrating peak, and then we break through to the resolution like a jet breaking through the sound barrier.

I sobbed at the end, so that's a good sign.

The first editor gets it on May 9th, so I have time to go through it again and make it sparkle before then. After that it's copy-edited, proofread, and it comes back to me in between each of those rounds to approve or reject suggested changes. Then it's uploaded in all its various forms. Then it goes on sale. Then a reader reports a typo. 🤷‍♀️

So now you know why I say, it's done, but it's not done-done. It's done done when it releases on August 12th.

This makes 114

I can't lie, this was a hard one to write. There's tremendous suffering going on in our world and I feel it right to my bones. Plus, the drama of the real world is so over the top that if I wrote it as fiction, my editor would say it's too much to be believable. There's an expression for that from TV land. In fiction, when something goes too far they say it's "jumped the shark."

It comes from a segment of the hit sitcom Happy Days in which Arthur Fonzarelli water skis up a ramp and over a bunch of hungry sharks. I remember they ended part one of the two-part episode, with the Fonz in mid-air.

It was just a bridge too far. Guys like Fonzi ride motorcycles and wear black leather. They don't wear swim trunks and water ski. It broke with the character entirely. Plus, the outrageousness of the storyline felt like an act of desperation on the part of the writers. Like a child acting out to get attention.

It seems like the real world has jumped the shark. This makes writing hard, because you can't write anything more exciting than what's real, and that's kind of in the job description.

However, it's not the entire job description. Escape is also in there. Healing, soothing, easing, all of those things are also in there. Writing is magic. (I'm not even kidding, letters were magical symbols and words were spells, in many early systems of writing.)

When I mulled on this I realized that Honky Tonk Cowboy was the perfect story to write at this chaotic time because it's not a high drama. It's a character-driven story, more than plot-driven, though I do throw you lots of thrills and a few chills.

But at its heart, it's about family, and love, and good, honest people. It's an escape into a world where everything is working the way it should. Where the good guys come out on top, and the bad guys get what's coming to them, even if things might seem dire.

And it's about real feelings we all share at different times in our lives. Feeling unworthy of our dreams coming true, or feeling like those closest to us don't really see us.

This novel is about finding love in the midst of a storm, and latching onto it with all we have. And about healing old wounds, and stepping into the fullness of who we really are.

We're always becoming more, aren't we? Every day, with every experience we grow a little bit. We learn a little bit. We understand a little better.

For me, returning to Quinn Texas and the Texas Brand again, with the original gang we're now referring to as the "Elder-Brands" and their offspring, was the perfect escape. Whenever I was writing, I was in the book, in the story, really living right there there with them. And it's good there.

Anyway, my newsletter is a week late already, but this an intensive period, between the end and releasing it into the world for its first edit. I don't know when you'll get a newsletter, but you will and it will be soon, and in the meantime, I'm putting all the news I can think of here.

SALES & DEALS

You can listen to OKLAHOMA CHRISTMAS BLUES on YouTube for free.

It's going up one chapter a week, and there are 8 up there now out of 13 total. Click on the image below to visit the playlist. Hit Subscribe.

This is my publisher's YouTube page, and there are several other audiobooks going up for free, so check them out and subscribe!

The eBook edition of Oklahoma Christmas Blues is a Kindle Monthly Deal for the entire month of April, which drops its price to $1.49

THE LITTLEST COWBOY in audiobook is 50% off through May 11th!

This is great! It's the book where Ethan, the hero from Honky Tonk Cowboy (coming August 12th) was found on the doorstep of the Texas Brand ranch in the opening scene. Things have come full-circle!

Oliver Heber Books Launches Onsite Bookstore with Exclusive Bargain Bundles!

You can download the full series at the lowest price you'll find, exclusively from my publisher, Oliver Heber Books brand new bookstore! There are three of mine, and multiple other great authors and fantastic series! Check them out.

Images are linked.

This is the Danger After Dawn series, romantic suspense, 6 books, 20% off. (Above)

This is the thriller series, Brown and de Luca Return, 4 books, 25% off. (Above)

This is Romantasy, aka romantic fantasy, the By Magic series, 4 books, 15% off. (Above.)

Click "eBook Deals" at the top of any page to browse the launch sale!

Oh, and there is a very cool Sherrilyn Kenyon kickstarter going on with collector's edition hardcovers and other awesome perks. Check it out below!