Dear Reader, I have a confession to make. I've been leading a secret second life.
It started in December of last year when I was offered an opportunity to participate in a charity anthology to fight soldier suicide. The military is close to my heart since many of my family members have served and I very much wanted to participate. The only problem? With my Historical and Romantasy book catalogue, I couldn't join under my current pen name.
At first, I declined participating in the anthology, but a number of doors opened during the next six weeks that told me I needed to reconsider. One of those deciding factors was a Romance market report that showed how strong the Contemporary Romance market is compared to historical romance. It's easily selling 4x as much.
Writing romance has never been about the money for me. It's about telling stories that I love and want to share. However, this IS a business. In the 11 years I've been publishing, I've never come close to breaking even on what I spend per year versus what I make, let alone a profit. I've been paying to share my stories, while authors all around me are not only breaking even but earning a decent living. After a long talk with my hubby, it's come down to either pushing the boundaries in my work so that I make at least some profit, or quitting entirely.
Spoiler alert: I'm incapable of quitting entirely. I tried once a few years back and my soul hurt too much.
So, back in January, Ash Henry was born and I signed up to participate in the charity anthology. I kept this secret from my family and other readers for months, and even now, only a handful of readers know about this other pen name. It's been a great decision for me! I've really enjoyed writing short contemporary romance. The books can be read in less than 2 hours but still give you all the feels of a full length romance. The writing style is also different as it's told in alternating first person. (Each chapter switches between the hero and heroine's point of view.)
What does this mean for the future? A lot more books for both Aurrora St. James and Ash Henry. I've signed a 6-book contract with Dragonblade to write more Regency stories in 2025. These will be fairytale retellings with a little bit of magic. I've also still got Lucius's book on the calendar, and now with Ash Henry, I have 9 more short contemporary romances that will come out between now and next April or May.
I hope you will come on this journey with me, and even more, I hope you understand. No one wants to work for free unless you're a volunteer, which is essentially what I've been doing for the last 11 years. Financially, that must change for me or I have to quit writing all together. So the time has come to spread my wings even further and see if I can actually fly like many of my other fellow authors.
I would love to have you read an Ash Henry book and tell me what you think. How about a free book to start? Download your copy of Lost for You today and give it a shot. I hope you'll love it.
(Click the picture to download your copy)
The big, military hero just became my knight in shining armor…
When the hottest man I’ve ever seen says he’s just passing through our small town, I’m not surprised. No one stops here on purpose, and it’s not like this heart-stopping military hero is going to fall for his curvy waitress at first sight.
But when some cowboys start hassling me, the big warrior steps in. Then he lays a sizzling kiss on me that I feel all the way to my toes.
Suddenly I want a lot more than a good tip. I want him to see me. I want him to stay. But can I really expect a man I just met to give up everything to stay here with me?
If you've read this far, thank you so much for reading my books and for your understanding. I promise to bring you as many heartwarming, entertaining romances as I can for as long as I can. After all, you're the main reason that I write.
Hugs and love,
Aurrora
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