Olivia Jake's Blog

Today I’m releasing my latest book, BETTER THAN NONE. For those who’ve liked my other books, this one’s very different. It’s still a romance at its core, but it’s loosely based on my journey with my mother as we fought, and lost, her battle with cancer. Needless to say, it’s a very personal story, but it’s still fiction. There was no handsome doctor in my reality. What was there, though, was an experience unlike anything I’ve ever gone through.

To those of you who’ve not just lost loved ones, but who’ve also been their caretakers, my heart and admiration go out to you. Studies show that women in their 40s are the primary caretakers for aging relatives… because we don’t have enough on our plates ☺.

But BETTER THAN NONE isn’t just about illness and death. It’s about one woman’s journey to find herself and stop being the person she used to be. It’s about learning not to sweat the small stuff, because there are far worse things. It’s about opening up and letting people in, even the most unlikely of people. It’s about finding sweetness and purity in caring for someone who means more than life itself.

Be strong. Enjoy the time we have here. Don’t be stingy with your love.

I hope you enjoy my new book. If you do, please review it on Amazon, see link below.

Best,
Olivia

http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Non...

I’ve never been the most patient person, but you, dear readers, have been amazingly so as you’ve waited for all my books to be available everywhere. Thank you for that. Now, all four books are downloadable at all the usual outlets.

Thank you again!
Olivia

Many of you have commented on the dramatic shift in tone, story line and characters between The Moments series and Broken Rules, and with Jennifer’s Surrender. A few have expressed surprise as to just how dark it is. It’s still a romance, but it takes a very different journey than the other three books.

When I wrote it, I intentionally tried to do something different. A different voice: this one is first person. A different tone: like I said, it’s dark. One reviewer called it ‘haunting’. A different type of main character: Jennifer isn’t nearly as strong as Samantha or Alexandra. And a different message: with so much BDSM literature out there, I wanted to write a cautionary tale.

It was a challenge for me to see if I could do it, and equally important, to see if readers would like it. I hope that you do and would love to hear from you.

Olivia

Every morning when I log into my Goodreads page, that big ‘You’ve rated 0 books so far’ stares back at me. I’m still very much getting the hang of juggling my job, writing, promoting etc. but I feel like I owe some explanation as to why I haven’t contributed in that arena.

It’s mostly a time thing. Now that I’ve taken the plunge and pushed my books out there, I’m finally able to get back to that which started this all: writing. During the initial promotional push, or shove as it were, I didn’t have the time or focus to write. Now, thankfully, I’m able to get back to it. And I’ve really missed it. On those days I’m not able to sit down and give a meaningful chunk of time to my new book, well let’s just say those aren’t the days my friends, family and coworkers want to be around me.

But it’s also partly out of reverence for my fellow authors that I haven’t reviewed any of the hundreds of books that are on my personal bookshelves, both the tangible ones here at home and the virtual ones on my e-reader. I stress enough over editing my own writing and haven’t yet found my comfort zone in reviewing others. Perhaps I will someday. Until then, thank you for your patience.

I'm a little, ok, a lot dumbfounded as to how exactly this happened, but IN THE MOMENT is #17 on Amazon's top 100 free books in the Kindle store.

Thank you for all your support!

When I first shared that I had started writing erotic romances, there were a variety of responses from my friends and family. Most were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. A few were, and still are, in disbelief. But by and large, they were all impressed and proud that I have now self-published all four books.

I’ve since learned that the writing is by far the easy part. The marketing is definitely the bigger challenge. Even after having read all the sites with all the tips and tricks and suggestions, much of the self-promotion is overwhelming. I realize I’m definitely not the first writer who’d prefer to stay in her fantasy world of make-believe characters and happy endings rather than put herself out there into the real(ish) world of the internet.

Ironic that in my other life, marketing is my job. But one more thing I’ve learned on this journey that it’s a lot easier, at least for me, to market someone else’s fantasy rather than my own reality. Much, much easier.

So, thank you to those who have been patient with me during this adventure. To my new friends who have started reading my books and don’t know how private I am, this is my first foray into social media. Yes, really and truly my first.

Also, right now In The Moment is the only book of the four that’s available anywhere other than Amazon, and I’m still waiting for all of Smashwords’ distribution channels to receive it. The other three books are part of the KDP Select program, so they’re exclusive to Amazon until mid-December. Then I’ll release them via Smashwords as well.

Thank you again for your interest and support.