Author Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal
Website: Bonnie Edwards
Twitter: @BonnieEdwards
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Amazon Author Profile
Author Description:
Romance author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the rainy coast of British Columbia.You'll find humour & tears in her earthy, irreverent, love stories. Sometimes her books have a paranormal twist, likes curses & ghosts, other times not, but they’re always entertaining and guarantee a happy ending.
With three ongoing romance series (steamy paranormal, sexy contemporary and heartwarming Christmas) & contemporary family novels, she rarely spends a day without writing. She has written novels, novellas and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself. Look for more exciting releases throughout 2017 and 2018…
I live in the majestic Pacific Northwest where the rain makes it easy to sit in an office and write. But, even the rain can't make me give up my long walks in the woods where I dream up storylines and fun characters.
To learn more about upcoming releases, please go to my website at http://bonnieedwards.com and sign up for my newsletter. Since I feel my readers lead busy lives, I only send out notices about new books, or special deals. I hope you'll take a moment to click and stay informed!
SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author
Congratulations on your book: Whole Lot O' Love. What do you have on the drawing board next? Rumor has it that you have several books on the horizon (One Crazy Christmas, Diamond Trouble, Body Paint, Finding Mercy, Loving Logan). Can you tell us the timeline for their release?
Yes, James I have a lot of books in my line up. One Crazy Christmas will be available in the third annual Spicy Christmas Kisses, a boxed set of holiday-themed romances in early November. One Crazy Christmas will be book 3 of my Christmas Collection series. Diamond Trouble! That may be out even sooner. It was released before as a Kensington Aphrodisia title several years ago. I’ll be updating and revising and getting a cover etc pretty soon. It could be out in October if I get cracking! When I know for sure I’ll post the date on my website. Finding Mercy and Loving Logan will be out almost back to back in 2018. Interesting for me is that I’ve submitted Finding Mercy for movie consideration. If anything comes of that, you’ll be hearing the screeching from the rooftops. Wish me luck.
You have a good following on twitter. Since you started before the social media buzz, what impact has social media relationships had on your current success? How did you build your following in your niche? How much has it changed your book launch process?
I’m not sure what to say about social media. Most authors use it to help get the word out about their books and I’m no different. But, I think most of us see it as a necessary part of the release process, even those of us who are (were) traditionally published. Building a following is an ongoing process, but until recently, I was one of those authors who hoped that good books would be found by interested readers, but I’ve learned differently. Now, I’m trying to actively seek newsletter subscribers and reviewers for my work. It’s the hardest part of the writing business for me.
Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?
Funny you ask this as I think I may go to the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue, WA in October.
If anyone wants to know what I’m up to and where I’ll be, it’s best to sign up for my newsletter through my website. I know my readers a crazy busy so I do not send a lot of notices, mostly they’re about new books or great deals I’m involved in.
If someone wants to join Bonnie’s R&R Team on FB I’d be happy to add them, if they’re readers of my work. It’s a small group and they are people I’ve connected with online over the past few years.
Sometimes R&R will mean Read & Review (because I need reviews on upcoming releases), or Relax & Read (because I'm focused on being positive), or Recommend & Read. (because I'll post about books I love) No religious or political discussion will be allowed. (Remember I said I'm being positive...this is how)
If you enjoy reading my books I would love it if you'd join...I will NOT be adding people without them showing interest. Facebook
You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?
I was lucky to find an artist who shared my eye for images. I kept clicking on her pre-made covers time and again because I liked her work. We ended up doing several covers together and we came up with the orange for my name and titles, the fonts, etc. The images were easy because we each liked the same things. Then, she became a writer (of all things) and stopped doing covers. So, I’ve carried on using the same fonts etc and now use the lovely Susan Ann Wall for the covers. We’re becoming more in synch with each cover she does for me. My less-steamy works have a different look and I like that…no orange font there!
You have written many short stories. Can you tell us if they had an impact on the sales of your novels? Are shorty’s one of your styles of writing or are they created to give readers a sample of your work?
I’ve written only two short stories…but I’ve sold each one into print and had each included in anthologies so it looks like I’ve written more. I plan on another with a heroine in her early 70s who takes a chance on love again. She is the matriarch of the family from my Christmas Collection.
I’m so glad you mentioned this because there’s a wonderful new wave some authors and editors are hoping to see. Authors are calling it “Seasoned Romance” and we’re hoping it comes to fore. We’re calling heroes and heroines in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond “seasoned.” Readers want to read the age group they’re a part of and authors want to write about them. I’m so glad to be part of this!
For me, short stories are about moments of change and I find them interesting, but, the conflict is something that’s happened previously. So in a short story, I write about the solution.
I like the idea of Author bundles. You are a part of a several bundles showcased on the HBS Author Spotlight. What was the impact on your other sales? What was the main objective of bundling your works with other authors? How did you put something like that together?
(Featured on the following HBS Author’s Spotlight Showcases)
Luck of the Draw
Spicy Christmas Kisses
To Protect and Love
Spring Into Love
I loved the effect my earlier bundles had on crossover sales. I think more than a few new readers have found me through the bundles. And finding new readers was what I hoped would happen. I fell into the boxed sets because I was not good at promoting my own work and I wanted to learn how others were doing it. Team efforts work if you have a dedicated team. What I learned is how much I love to write blurbs! And I often contribute them to the set and even sometimes to other authors who hate writing them. We all have our talents.
What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?
One of the most effective things for me is having Perdition House Part 1 An Erotic Saga set to permanently free. It’s a long book and flows naturally into Part 2. Over time I added 3 more novellas and I swear, one day I’ll write the madam’s story. Belle is often the one readers ask about. She deserves her own “origin” story. I know it…I just have to write it. You know…in my spare time!
What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?
I mostly write contemporary, steamy romance, but I was way ahead of that market when I started writing. I had manuscripts rejected because I had too much sex in them. (They said it was very well-written, though.) THEN, erotic romance began and I was ready! Now, those books are no more than steamy…not really considered avant-garde anymore. Meanwhile, my interest has morphed into more family stories. Being older now, I’m able to write generationally and can include grandparents and deeper family issues than I could before.
Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?
I have a very small newsletter list, but I’m trying to build it through more social media promotion than I’ve ever tried before. So, yes, all of the above. (not that I’m good at it)
You have just switched to being an indie author. Being a self-publisher myself, I have to ask this question. How does doing everything yourself work out? Do you outsource much of the process?
I use copy editors, content editors for longer, more in-depth stories, a cover artist. But I’d love help with the promotion and marketing. We’ll see how the rest of the year goes and how many more titles I can get up for sale.
Thank you, James for helping so many authors get the word out about their work. You do good every single day and we love you for it!
Author's Book List
Whole Lot O' Love
- The Brantons Book 3Can one stroke of good luck make a homecoming happy?
Ashlee Branton's lottery win is giving her and her son a new, settled life back home.
Except that returning to Blaine, Washington means facing her son's father, Brick Harcourt, in a most unsettling way.
Ashlee deserted Brick and his less-than-accepting family when she'd become pregnant. Refusing to be just a statistic, she worked hard to raise their baby on her own. But as luck would have it, she has a chance to repair what she broke back then. Dare she take one more chance on love?
But Ashlee has two pasts now; one with Brick and one with an ex who wants to crash their reunion.
Will she run again or stay and sacrifice money for love?
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Slow Hand
- The Brantons Book 2A jilted bride...a sexy sea captain...love at first touch
Stressed out Teri Branton is determined to get the honeymoon cruise she paid for -- even without the groom.
Laidback Captain Jared MacKay instantly dislikes Teri's 6 inch heels and New York attitude.
Neither is prepared for their electrifying first touch.
In this erotically-charged novella, they have one short week under the sultry Caribbean sun. Can Jared's slow hand lead them beyond torrid sex into a lifetime of love?
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Body Work
- The Brantons Book 1She left him in her rear view mirror...too bad she can't leave him there...
Lisa Brady Delaney left Tyce Branton behind when he couldn't offer her what she needed. She wanted out of the trailer park, but had to do it alone.
Years later, Tyce is the only man she trusts to prepare her classic car collection for auction. Lisa quickly learns Tyce is a hands-on man: in the garage and in the bedroom.
Tyce is angry to see Lisa again, but has to wonder if she's the same girl he knew or an independent beauty who will never need him again. Is this Tyce's last chance with his first love?
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A Breath Taken
- Tales of Perdition #5The mysterious spirits of Perdition House are up to mischief again, but this time lives are at stake. . .
Blue McCann wants a second chance to live. Drawn into a vintage clothing shop by a mysterious woman, she tries on an antique corset...and wakes up in 1913 in the body of another woman.
Dr. Colt Stephens has been attracted to a woman he first met in Perdition House. Unfortunately, he made the wrong assumption about her role in the famous, exclusive, "gentleman's retreat."
But now it seems by saving her life, he's in her good graces and in her bed. She's everything he's ever wanted...even if she's not the woman he thinks she is.
Can Blue McCann learn how to stay in this life she's been given or will she have to return to the present where death awaits her?
In the fifth instalment of Tales of Perdition, secrets are revealed and answers are found…
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Parlor Games
- Tales of Perdition #4Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction, where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living...
Matt Crewe has only one desire when he arrives at Perdition House: to sell himself in a sexy bachelor auction for charity. Matt needs to get the truth behind the web of lies that surround the mysterious mansion.
Carrie MacLean needs a career-making break and buying the services of a bachelor for so-called charity will give her all she needs to move into hard hitting journalism.
What neither of them knows is that Perdition House is a haunted bordello and they are already mesmerized by the spirits of the women who once lived and worked there.
They each need to expose the mansion's secrets but once they make a connection, nothing, not even their own secrets can come between them.
Both Matt and Carrie are cool and competent professionals, intent on getting what they came for...
In a last ditch effort to save their sanity, their lives and their hearts, the truth is revealed and they accept that love found in Perdition House is eternal…
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Rock Solid
- Tales of Perdition #3Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction...
Carpenter Jake MacKay is a rock-solid, responsible man with a capital M. In the predawn hours, he answers an alluring woman's call in that moment between wakefulness and dreams. Try as he might, he cannot refuse her summons. He must fly to Seattle immediately to give an estimate on renovations to her mansion, Perdition House.
Unbeknownst to Jake Perdition House is a haunted bordello and he is already in its thrall.
Lexa Creighton is a descendent of one of the couples who found love during the house's heyday, over one hundred years ago. Lexa has heard the family ghost story her whole life.
Arriving at Perdition House to discuss a heritage garden design, she meets Jake and a firestorm of lust grips them both.
To Lexa, her steamy encounters with Jake are merely proof of the family legend, but she can't believe that long-dead ancestors are messing with her love life.
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Perdition House Part 2
- Tales of Perdition #2Welcome to Perdition House...a house of sin, secrets and seduction where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living…
Faye Grantham has chosen to stay in her inherited mansion with the lively spirits of the hookers who once lived, worked, and fell in love in the world-famous elite bordello Perdition House.
She struggles to control the dreams visited on her by her ghostly live-in companions, and even her own thoughts. But Faye must also learn the secret of the screaming woman she glimpses in her nightmares.
Faye has the devil's own time picking between Liam Watson and Mark McLeod, two very different men with varied and exciting talents.
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Perdition House Part 1
- Tales of Perdition #1Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living...
Ghost stories are not always frightening. Sometimes they're cheeky, naughty and often erotic...
When Faye Grantham inherits Perdition House, her family's secret shame, she expects to sell the property for millions and marry her long time fiancé.
But the spirits who still reside in the mansion have other ideas. Trapped in the bordello, the women who lived and worked there wait to tell their stories to Faye.
The "girls" don't just hang around waiting. They control Faye's libido, influence her decisions and drive her into the arms of two very different men.
Liam Watson wears comfort like most men wear cologne. With an interest in adventurous sex, he's more man than he first seems.
Mark McLeod is a strong, decisive businessman who was not meant to be more than a hot one-night stand. But Mark is in no hurry to end their liaison and hopes to continue Faye's lessons in sensuality.
As Faye becomes enthralled with the mansion, she's embroiled in a life-changing situation that has her re-examining her engagement, her business decisions, and her beliefs about herself.
As the spirits reveal themselves one by one, Faye learns their stories: how they came to Perdition House, why they joined the women there and some of the secrets that only a high-class bordello could hold.
But can decades-old secrets affect Faye's life today?
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Invitation to Christmas
- Christmas Collection Book 2Christmas brings family together...
Jordyn Bailey kissed Tom Fontaine last Christmas when they met.
But their parents are engaged...
For Jordyn keeping secrets in a family determined to mesh their lives is all kinds of crazy.
Secretly sleeping with Tom could get messy because she's on the baby track while he's on the party track.
If they're careful and keep their attraction under wraps maybe it will burn out and they can be friends.
Now...It's Christmas again and Tom wants to unwrap everything, including Jordyn.
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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Thong
A secret that should never be exposed...
When a bundle of trouble AKA one lively mutt absconds with an -- umm -- expensive piece of underwear, Frankie Volpe gives chase and lands on the deck of a float home owned by a man she's secretly lusted for.
But the $50,000 thong? Nowhere to be found. The mutt was better at hiding stuff than Frankie!
All she wants is her regular, boring, real, Chicago life back but all her good luck turned bad and Frankie's hiding out in Victoria, British Columbia.
Daniel Martin is a late-night blues radio host who's been aware of Frankie since she arrived in the marina. The mysterious, sexy, Frankie seems standoffish until she needs his help tracking an odd piece of clothing his dog scampered off with.
Soon, their attraction flares into something neither of them expects and Daniel accepts a job in a brand new timeslot in a new market -- Chicago -- the last place in the world Frankie can go. Frankie's secret is about to be exposed. Will the truth about her good karma gone bad clear the path for them or send Frankie running again?
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Not-So-Blue Christmas
In this second chance at love romance, Kirk Fontaine can’t bear to talk to anyone, let alone enjoy Christmas. Away from home, in a small harbor city in Canada, broken-hearted, Kirk’s lost and alone until one small dog refuses to give up on him.
Vibrant widow Miranda Bailey is ready to move into the next phase of her life, except this Christmas is shaping up to be the worst since her husband’s death. But instead of hiding, she takes charge, and drags Kirk into her Christmas miracle.
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Love in a Pawn Shop
A pit bull, a pawn shop and a pain-in-the-ass kid brother. . .
Dix is good with two out of three. She's had it with dusty shelves, desperate people and her teenage brother. With Riley about to graduate, Dix is ready to buy her one-way ticket to Paris.
Then sexy cop Dane Caldwell walks into her store on the hunt for stolen goods, and threatens her brother and her business.
The worst threat is to Dix's heart...if she loses that, she loses her dream.
Dane soon realizes he's found love in a pawn shop. Even the pit bull thinks he's okay. Now all he has to do is convince Dix that love is more than just another complication.
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Sweet Ride!
Katie Calhoun can do it all: run a car dealership, nurse her friend and mentor, Harry, back to health while juggling work, play and loneliness. What she can't do is family.
Jace Donner's life is on its well-planned track and he's headed for a fabulous new career in Switzerland, but his uncle Harry needs him right now and family comes first.
When he finds the sexy, copper-headed spitfire Katie moving into his uncle's home, he sets aside his plans. He needs to keep this gold digger from running off with the family silver. Jace soon learns Katie takes tough-minded to a whole new level and he can't resist her. Doubt and suspicion turn to admiration and desire as Katie struggles to maintain a business, tolerate his uncle's gruff exterior and play nursemaid all at once.
Katie learns to share more of herself with Jace than she ever has before. One day, and one step at a time, he leads her toward fulfillment. Jace invades her life, her job, her mind...but she won't let him take her heart when he leaves...
Jace is leaving all right, but he wants to take Katie with him- if he can ever get past her defenses to prove that what they have is real and forever.
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Stroke of Midnight
An unlikely Cinderella...
When hardworking single mom Jaye Sinns meets younger playboy Alexander Carmichael, the sexual chemistry between them is undeniable. So Jaye gives in to temptation and allows him to whisk her away for her first-ever vacation. Two glorious weeks of no inhibitions, no strings and no responsibilities.
A charming prince of a guy...
Life with Alex is every woman's fantasy—sizzling sex in the back of a limo, on a private plane, in exotic settings. But it's not enough to fulfill a woman like Jaye for long. No matter how hot the sex is.
A happy ending?
Alex is soon craving more than Jaye's body: he wants her love and admiration, too. For the first time in his life, he can't buy the thing he desires most; and now he must decide if he's willing to work at being the kind of man that Jaye needs, and give her the happily-ever-after she deserves.
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Thanks so much for this lovely interview and Wow! The fabulous list of my books. I really appreciate this!
ReplyDeleteCheers!