Welcome!
Hi everyone, and welcome to my new creative venture. If you’re here, it’s likely because you’re already a reader, so consider this a chance for me to formally reintroduce myself. If you’re new, I hope you’ll stick around. I’m looking forward to dipping my toes in the newsletter world for the first time and have some fun exclusive content planned.
Get to Know Me
My name’s Lauren, and I’m an independent novelist who’s been writing and publishing since 2012. As of this post, I’ve released forty-four books, everything from small-town second-chance romance to dragon-rider romantasy, dystopian erotica, epic history-bending paranormal, and, most notably, my Amazon bestselling romantic family saga, the Dartmoor Series, set against the backdrop of a wild and violent outlaw motorcycle club. I like high-stakes drama, deeply flawed but lovable characters, vivid imagery, cinematic action sequences, and, of course, heartrending love stories.
In my nonfictional life, I’m a lifelong horsewoman, most at home in dirt-caked boots, mucking stalls and tossing hay. I live about an hour outside of Atlanta, on a quiet little farm with the horses, dogs, and chickens. While none of my books are horse themed, I do sprinkle a few equestrians and equines throughout my series.
I have eclectic tastes when it comes to reading, but gravitate the most toward horror, mystery/thriller, and fantasy. I like to think a healthy diet of spooky books helps keep my own characters on their toes.
Why this, why now?
I currently manage an author blog, Facebook account, and Instagram feed. I’ll continue to keep up with all of those sites going forward, but I’d also like to create a central hub for them. While there is follower overlap across all three platforms, I know some followers only follow me in one place. I want to try using the newsletter format to bridge that gap, and hopefully continue to grow my following through new content and monetization. Long-form written communication is my favorite medium, and Substack seems like the perfect place for that.
What to expect
I’m going to offer both free and exclusive content through a mix of a bi-monthly newsletter, musings, essays, and serialized stories featuring both my existing characters and series, and potentially new stories. A way to test the waters with fresh ideas and get a feel for their reception. It would be fun to offer writing tutorials and book reviews, too. I want my current book readers and social media followers to feel welcome to comment and ask questions. I don’t stand on formality, and plan for this space to serve as part-blog, part-book, part-journal.
The Plan (so far)
Twice-a-month newsletters on the 1st and 15th to keep you updated on WIP progress, release information, future post previews, and what’s going on in my day-to-day life.
Once-a-week writerly musings on process, craft, and my inspirations as I work on a novel or story.
Exclusive, all new fiction content not available anywhere else. Dartmoor futures for sure, maybe some missing or bonus scenes from other series, and eventually standalone content. For serialized content, I’d like to post two chapters a week. Exact schedule TBD.
Hopefully, some writing workshop/tutorial essays in which I talk about what works, and what doesn’t work in books and popular media, with an emphasis on character throughlines.
Literary analysis of books I love.
Where to find me
You can find all of my books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo
You can follow me on: My Blog, Facebook, Instagram
So excited ❣️
Exciting! Looking forward to it 😍