Michelle McCraw's Blog

This may not look like a lot of progress because, frankly, it’s not. And that was my intention for September.

I took almost three weeks away from writing to take the vacation of a lifetime, visiting the UK, Ireland, and Iceland with my daughter. We had a fantastic time in Iceland – a bucket-list country for me – and all the other places we visited. Look to my Instagram soon for pics!

I received Advances and Retreats back from my copyeditor, and on a few quiet days on my trip, I was able to do the final polish and send the manuscript off to my proofreader.I made good progress in the second half of August on book 5 in the 40 and Fabulous series, Marriage and Trouble. I’ve had to put it on pause to focus on Advances and Retreats, but I hope to get back to drafting soon.

Also, don’t forget to grab your ebook copy of Work with Me, which is currently F-R-E-E on all retailers! (I’m not sure how long it will remain free, so grab it while you can!)

The post Writing progress, September 21, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

I missed reporting last month – summers are finally at a pre-pandemic level of busy for me – but I’m back to report progress.

I sent Advances and Retreats to my copyeditor. After the copyedits come back, it’s generally a sprint to publication, and I’m planning to hit an October 17 release date. It’s currently set to publish in spring 2026, but as soon as I see the copyedits, I’ll adjust that date. (We’ll see how quickly I can get it up on my store, but I’m hoping to make it available direct 1-2 weeks earlier.)I’ve started drafting book 5 in the 40 and Fabulous series, working title Marriage and Trouble, which is Justine’s marriage of convenience story (with a younger man, naturally). I’ve had to make a few adjustments to my outline, but it’s starting to take off.

Also, don’t forget to grab your ebook copy of Work with Me, which is currently F-R-E-E on all retailers! (I’m not sure how long it will remain free, so grab it while you can!)

The post Writing progress, August 15, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

Whew, I made it!

4 Weddings and a Feud is out in the world. Thank you to my agent, Amy Brewer; my publisher, City Owl; my editor, Tee Tate; and all the readers who have picked it up, especially those who have left reviews. Release week was amazing, and I appreciate you all! 💙I sent Advances and Retreats to my beta readers. One has already sent her feedback, and she’s given me some excellent ideas for how to improve it.I’ve got a rough outline for the next in the 40 and Fabulous series, working title Marriage and Trouble, which is Justine’s marriage of convenience story (with a younger man, naturally). I’m already having so much fun with it!

Two book releases in two months was a little nuts, and I have no plans of doing that again. Thanks to everyone who read Conspiracies and 4 Weddings. If you missed one, not to worry, you can still grab it from your favorite retailer.

Also, don’t forget to grab your ebook copy of Trip Me Up, which is F-R-E-E on all retailers for the rest of June!

The post Writing progress, June 22, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

I’m down to two projects:

4 Weddings and a Feud is up for preorder, and advance reader copies have been sent! I’m excited to see the reviews starting to come in. Thank you, everyone, who’s read it. 💙My writing time goes to revisions on Advances and Retreats. I’m almost done with the major revision, and I hope to do one more readthrough before I send it to my beta readers.

The post Writing progress, May 18, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

One release down, one more to go!

Conspiracies and Chemistry launched on April 4. You can get your copy at your favorite retailer, and I’ve scheduled a launch event May 1 with my good pal Karen Grey! 4 Weddings and a Feud is up for preorder, and I’ve got advance reader copies ready to go early in May! The cover was revealed today, too!My writing time goes to revisions on Advances and Retreats, which I’m building up into a full-size draft.

The post Writing progress – April 15, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

How to buy: 

Don’t forget, you can get it for less on my store in ebook. The book is delivered immediately by Bookfunnel, just like all my bonus epilogues, and you can read it on your favorite platform. Plus, I get to keep a little more cash from each sale.😁 You can also get it in paperback or even signed. And if you’re in the Atlanta area, come see me at Eagle Eye Books and get your copy signed on May 1! 

You can also get a copy from your favorite retailer:

Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Google | Kobo | Everywhere else

Brains – especially writer brains – are wonderful things. Sometimes books come to me in a flash, like my debut novel. I still remember walking into the office one day and having an uncomfortable feeling when the person ahead of me didn’t have a badge. I let them “tailgate” me and made sure they stopped at the security desk, but suddenly, a whole “undercover boss” situation formed in my imagination. That idea eventually became Work with Me.

Other books are more organic, especially when I’m in the middle of a series. I usually have characters I know pretty well, and I have to come up with a romance for them. That was the case for Conspiracies and Chemistry. I introduced Andrew’s sad-boy pal, Oliver, in Frenemies and Lovers.

Here’s a secret: in early drafts of that book, Oliver’s partner Simon was still alive and died during the story, sending Oliver spiraling into depression. But that subplot was too distracting to Andrew and Carly’s story, so I cut it, and Simon is already dead when Frenemies begins.

But you know about headcanon, right? I’d written Oliver through that painful period in his life, and it existed in my imagination (even though it was no longer on the page), so I desperately wanted to give him an HEA. And I’d created Tessa, a mysteriously wealthy woman with a painful past, one of the Goddess Gang destined for romance.

So there you have it: a man struggling with grief and how to run his business without his partner, and a successful woman who still feels guilty about a mistake she made when she was younger. Make her a redhead – Oliver’s kryptonite, it seems! – and Oliver and Tessa are two puzzle pieces that complete each other. (This always makes me think of “M-F-E-O” from Sleepless in Seattle!)

I am SO EXCITED to bring you Conspiracies and Chemistry at last. This one was a hard one to write (thank you, amazing book coach Cathy Yardley!), and I can’t wait for you to read Tessa and Oliver’s story. It’s got

A woman who’s ashamed of her past and desperate for redemptionA younger man who’s afraid of fucking up his future – and his company and employeesA meet-cute over a tabletop roleplaying game (with costumes)A meet-disaster at a workplace in the San Francisco PeninsulaA sexy encounter in the supply closet 🔥🔥🔥Men who are feministsWomen who support each otherAnd a just-one-bed-in-Vegas situation

You’ll swoon for this office romance!

The post New release: Conspiracies and Chemistry! first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

We’re heading toward the finish line now!

Conspiracies and Chemistry is with the proofreader. Advance reader copies went out on Friday, and I’ve scheduled a launch event with my good pal Karen Grey!I sent 4 Weddings and a Feud back to the publisher, and now I’m waiting for page proofs. A cover reveal will be coming as soon as I receive the preorder links!Any slack time goes to revisions on Advances and Retreats, which I’m still loving, even as I wrangle the messy draft.

The post Writing progress, March 16, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

With books releasing in April and May, I’m doing a lot of pivoting lately. Almost as soon as I sent Conspiracies and Chemistry to my editor, 4 Weddings and a Feud came back from the copyeditor. As soon as I send it back for formatting, Conspiracies should be back, and I’ll work on that.

 

Any slack time goes to revisions on Advances and Retreats, which I’m absolutely LOVING. I hope y’all will, too. There are so many shenanigans in this one!

The post Writing progress, February 16, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

I had a successful solo writer’s retreat this month. I took myself on a transatlantic cruise on the Cunard Queen Anne, leaving from London and arriving in New York City nine days later. I ate well, relaxed, and drafted a book! In the photo collage on the right, you can see what I did. Clockwise from upper left, baking scones at a workshop in London; my writing setup in the buffet with tea; going to see Hadestown in the West End; sunrise over the ship’s deck in calmer waters; and my midmorning latte and a treat.In the graphic on the left, you can see that I’m working on my final revisions to Conspiracies and Chemistry before I send it to my editor; I’m about to start the first revisions on 4 Weddings and a Feud; and I drafted Advances and Retreats during my writing retreat. I’m proud of this progress!

The post Writing progress, January 20, 2025 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.

Whew! I finally sent Conspiracies & Chemistry to my early readers and am waiting for feedback. Which means it’s time to plan the next book in the series, which is titled Advances and Retreats. With the help of awesome story coach Cathy Yardley, I’ve sketched out a plot and will start to write after the holidays.

The post Writing progress, December 14, 2024 first appeared on Michelle McCraw, Contemporary romance author.