It's almost here!! Better than ever!

The long-awaited Romance Super Bundle IV is almost here! Isn't it a gorgeous cover?
Excitement is building for Monday, when we launch this incredible bundle, the one I can say is better than ever! Can you imagine, TEN great stories for only $0.99 cents? Who sees a great deal like that anymore?

From small towns and secret babies to Navy SEALs and nasty villains, we have danger, love, excitement all rolled into one wonderful romance bundle just for you!

Endless Love at amazon 

For all my epub version readers out there, please head over to 

Endless Love and Barnes and Noble

or if you're a Kobo fan, try

Endless Love at Kobo

Like Google, try this link 

Endless Love at Google 

Which one are you going to read first?

To my American friends

I am praying that from the deep division in the US, from a man with such terrible division in his rhetoric, there will come a desire for unity so strong, nothing can tear it down.

https://goo.gl/images/Lv50T2

Great, awesome, invaluable NEWS!!

Good news!! Romance Super Bundle is back!! #4 is on its way and available for preorder here. (So far, only at Amazon) Release date is November 28th. Mark your calendars!

As usual, the wonderful authors are offering you incredible value for your hard-earned money. Imagine, $0.99 for TEN fabulous romances! TEN!

Georgina Lee, my sassy alter ego, has chosen Death on the Ocean Floor for this incredible collection and I thought you would like to read the Dear Reader letter, just to get a taste. 



Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoyed this story. Like in Cape of Secrets, my heroine, in this case, Tetra, is not a sweet, likeable woman. But she is true to herself and always learning. She sees her mistakes and is moving forward. This theme of 'live and learn' is prevalent in my books, and I hope it resonates with you. So often when I see perfect heroes and heroines, I am discouraged by my own failings. I never want you to feel that way. Tetra is a work in progress and she understands that. And with a hero like David, who is not perfect, either, she will grow in love and wisdom.
Please review this book at the site where you purchased it, and if you found the story wanting, tell me via my website, www.barbaraphinney.com as I am always looking to improve my storytelling. My website also has a list of all my books.

Thank you,

Barbara Phinney, writing as Georgina Lee

Stay tuned for more information in the coming days about this bundle. I'll have snippets and blurbs and other fun stuff!

The Logic Behind a Good Suspense Title

When your titles mix feelings
 
Have you ever wondered where authors get their titles? With big publishing houses, titles are often chosen by the editorial staff, and are designed to reflect that publisher, author and genre.
Indie authors, that is those who publish independently, have a bit more freedom, but that doesn't always preclude an awesome title. 
But for suspense stories, titles have got to grab and speak the genre. One way to do that, is for the author to consider mixing two opposite elements. 
Think of Tess Gerritson's The Bone Garden. While bones offer up a taste of pain and death, gardens suggest pleasant retreats, beautiful flowers, rich produce. The two incompatible elements make for a mystery, a suggestion of things hidden. A suspense story.
My book, Deadly Trust, also suggests that. Deadly is self explanatory, and so is trust. Juxtaposing these two words creates a question, which suggests suspense. Even my latest Love Inspired Historical, also a suspense, has a title that asks a similar question. Undercover Sheriff (not yet released) asks the obvious question, why is the sheriff undercover? We all know the answer; because he is solving a crime. But the word undercover means a person is a mystery, hidden, while the sheriff is an outward authority figure, one is plain view. 
The title Hidden in Plain Sight reveals a number of fiction and non fiction books that not only suggest two opposites, but even my next point.

When words have different meanings

A number of books with the above title have Amish themes. The word plain means both obvious, and simple, unadorned. 
UnderCovers can also suggest both sensual themes and pretending to be someone you're not. This book has both, so the single worded title does double duty. 

What titles can you think of that suggest a mix of meanings or feelings? What title do you like best?

Where's the logic in owls?

We went camping this past weekend. It was a nice spot, on a lake, with hiking trails (although, whoever drew the campsite map needs a lesson in geography). We appreciated the beauty of a lovely summer weekend.

Then dusk fell.  

The ladies at the next campsite chatted and got all caught up with each others' lives, much to my husband's displeasure, especially when he realized only I had brought earplugs. He confiscated them immediately.
Now, the chatting didn't bother me. I knew they'd eventually fall asleep.

It was the owl. 
That night owl. 
That loud, devious Barred Owl. (I know this because I googled the hooting when I got home. See how devious he is?)

Image courtesy of Simon Pierre Barrette www.flickr.com/photos/vireo_solitarius  via https://crazybugladyblog.wordpress.com/tag/barred-owl/

It sat high in the trees between our campsite and the ladies' next door, dead set on keeping me up at night. 

So my question is this. If an owl hunts at night, where is the logic in sitting in a tree hooting from dusk to dawn? Owls are quiet, swift killers, so how and when is this character hunting? He did not one second of hunting all three nights we were camping. Wouldn't some kind of natural selection have weeded him out? 

You don't eat, you starve. (Well, except some women I know who only eat rabbit food and that is pretty sparse. But I digress.)

As I expected, my question wasn't answerable. Cell service was spotty in the unserviced campsites and I don't have a data plan, either. And my husband didn't know, as he heard only a few hoots. Remember, he confiscated my earplugs on that first night.

So, as dawn approached on the last day of our camping trip, I lay on our air mattress and thanked God that the owl finally stopped calling. Peace reigned and I knew I would finally get an hour or so sleep.

Then a crow woke up.