Brenda Gayle's Blog

Okay, for those in the know, this is old news and I’m a bit tardy in passing it on. But better late than never. Last August, Walmart partnered with Kobo to begin selling eBooks. The two companies also unveiled co-branded iOS and Android apps so those eBooks can be accessed even without Kobo’s eReaders.

Seven of my books are now available via Walmart’s website and I’ve updated the links on my pages to add them. But if you don’t want to wade through the website, here they are (with links).

Me+You
Six Geese for Monica
Brides of Christmas (Volume 2)
Soldier for Love
The Doubting Heart
The Forsaken Heart
Love & Hope

 

 

Last weekend I attended the New England Crime Bake conference, just outside of Boston, MA. Although I’ve been to a number of romance and women’s fiction writers conferences, this was my first mystery/crime one and some differences were immediately obvious. Here are the top three differences between romance writers and mystery writers conferences.

Men. Although the majority of authors attending were women, approximately one-third were men and they were well represented as speakers and on panels.
Less swag. Books, lip gloss, bookmarks, pens, you name it, romance conferences are known for the number of freebies they give attendees. I have to admit, I was disappointed not to have even a pen in my conference bag.
Discussions of body parts have a decidedly different focus.

All kidding aside, the opportunity to get together with other writers is always a wonderful experience and while this group was new to me, I was made to feel very welcome and included. The workshops were a terrific combination of writing craft and forensic sciences, and I learned a lot from both tracks.

So, you are probably asking, what is a romance/women’s fiction author doing at a crime writers conference? The answer is simple and not-so-simple.

My novels have always included elements of mystery and suspense to support or enhance the growing romance between the hero and heroine. Sometimes my publisher classified them as romantic suspense, sometimes not–I’ve never been very good at figuring out the sub-sub-genres thing. More recently, I’ve been inclined to write stories where the romance (if it exists) is secondary to the mystery/suspense plot. So, according to the genres wizards, I am transitioning from romantic suspense to crime writing.

But being defined by genre has never sat well with me. I write what I like, and would love to leave it at that. But in this world of keywords and marketing, it is important to identify where your book fits on the genre spectrum, so I am still struggling to figure that out.

My current work in progress is a series that focuses on a strong woman going through some hard times both personally and professionally (women’s fiction); there are two men who may or may not become romantic partners (romance); and in the course of living her life, she is thrown into situations where she must solve murders (amateur sleuth).

A bit more to whet your appetite: the year is 1948 and the setting is Kingston, Ontario.

Why 1948? It is post World War II and the men have returned home from the war and are being reintegrated into society–often with the assumption women will return to their traditional roles of wife and mother.

Why Kingston? It’s not too far from where I live; it has a rich heritage as the former capital of Canada; is situated where the St Lawrence River flows into Lake Ontario; and is just across the border from America. But more importantly, in 1948 the city had a university, a military college, a military base, a federal penitentiary, a women’s prison, and an asylum.

The first book in the series will be released next Spring. Maybe by then I’ll have figured out the whole genre thing. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, you can follow my progress on my Charley Hall Mysteries Facebook page.

 

In honor of September being Ovarian cancer month, Lachesis Publishing has discounted the LOVE AND HOPE e-book to $0.99 for the whole month. Proceeds from the sale of this anthology support Ovarian Cancer Canada.

I love all the stories in this anthology. Although we wrote them individually, we somehow managed to cover the wide spectrum of how this terrible disease affects women of all ages–and come out the other side with stories of hope, healing, and the power of love.

I just heard from the wonderful Lisa, at The Wild Rose Press, that all the Candy Hearts romances are being packaged into a six volume box set, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Here is your opportunity to get all these wonderfully fun stories at a ridiculously low price.

My story, ME+YOU, is included in Volume 2, Play Time, along with Be Mine (April Hollingworth), Kiss Me Again (Monique DeVere), Adore Me (Darcy Lundeen), Find Me (Cait Jarrod), I Love You (Brandy Wilson), Ooh La La (Doreen Alsen), and Be My Love  (J. C. McKenzie).

› The Wild Rose Press

› Amazon Kindle

With Christmas right around the corner, I’m inviting you to a local book fair where you can meet Ottawa-area authors and pick up a few Christmas presents along the way. We’ll have treats and presents if you stop by. Promise.

If you are in or around Ottawa on Thursday, September 28, please join me and other Ottawa authors for a fundraiser

in support of ALSO – Adult & Family Literacy.

Check out this great line up.

Tickets can be purchased here.

It’s  been a while since I’ve done a major update of my website (five years!), but there’s something about Spring that makes me want to shake off the old and try something new. I’ve kept the same basic information, but I’m trying to spruce the place up a bit for you. I’m also experimenting with WordPress so please forgive me if we have the occasional hiccup.

In the meantime, have a look around and see what I’ve been up to. You might notice a new link — My Redhead Blog. This is a project I started several years ago but haven’t done much with. It’s a place for my personal thoughts and (so far) non-commercial short stories and such. Let me know what you think.

For the next month all the Candy Heart romances will discounted 40%, including ME+YOU. This is one of my favourite stories, set in one of my favourite places: Sedona, Arizona. I hope you’ll check it out.

 

Just three more sleeps until the release of the wonderful anthology LOVE & HOPE. I am so pleased to be part of this project, the proceeds from which are being donated to Ovarian Cancer Canada.

In addition, I will be joining Lachesis Publishing publisher LeeAnn Lessard & editor Joanna D’Angelo on the Ovarian Cancer Walk for Her, September 11th, to raise money for this very worthwhile cause.

Five Canadian women are lost to this disease every day and 2,800 will be diagnosed this year alone. With no reliable screening test, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect and often caught in its late stages. More than half the women diagnosed are not expected to live past five years.

Please consider offering your support, either through a donation to the walk, via my personal page, or by purchasing LOVE & HOPE.

Surprise! My publisher has decided to release LOVE & HOPE early on its website. Here’s a personal message from publisher LeeAnn:

Joanna and I are always excited on release day for one of our Lachesis Publishing titles, but we couldn’t wait until the official release day for LOVE & HOPE. We decided to release it early on our site only. Here is the link http://lachesispublishing.com/?product=love-and-hope-an-anthology

LOVE AND HOPE, by Kayla Perrin, C. J. Carmichael, and Brenda Gayle, is a special release for me. Why? Proceeds from the sale of this title will go to Ovarian Cancer Canada. I lost two important women in my life to this horrible disease my Aunt Phyllis and Grandmaman.

Please share this post and link with friends, family and readers. Every penny counts toward finding an accurate test and cure for Ovarian Cancer.