author, books, indie author, self-publish, Uncategorized, WIP

Updates and Bites

Hi all!

I have some news!

The first novella in my Tool Belts & Heartbeats Series is dropping soon!

Fudge Me Gently will set the scene for Cherry Creek!

In small towns where every nail, beam, and badge tells a story, Tool Belts & Heartbeats explores the complicated dance between hard work and harder feelings. From construction sites to police precincts, romance takes root where duty and desire collide, twisted in the wires of ambition, responsibility, and the unpredictable lives of those who serve and build.

Each story in this series introduces a new set of characters—blue-collar workers who shape homes and futures, and cops who navigate the fine line between justice and passion. As love blossoms amid concrete dust and flashing lights, these couples must balance their growing connections with the weight of their demanding jobs. Can they find a way to build lasting love, or will the pressures of their worlds tear them apart?

Tool Belts & Heartbeats is a series where romance isn’t just constructed—it’s earned, with sparks flying between sweat and steel, duty and desire. Love might be a hard job, but it’s one worth working for.

moss covered rock wall
indie author, self-publish, WIP

A Touch of Magic

I’ve been working on some short stories to get through some writers block. Enjoy

Old Mavis, the hedge witch, had lived in her cottage at the edge of the forest for as long as anyone could remember. She knew the ways of herbs, potions, and spells—except for one thing: WiFi. Her grandson, little Timmy, had come to visit with his shiny, mysterious “laptop.”

“Grandma, you just need to connect to the WiFi,” Timmy said, holding up the laptop. “It’s easy.”

“Wi-Fi? What’s that? Some sort of spell?” Mavis squinted suspiciously at the device.

“It’s not a spell, Grandma, it’s the internet. You can use it to look up anything! Even recipes.”

“Ah, recipes,” Mavis muttered, “I still trust the moon and a bit of thyme more than… whatever this is.”

Timmy tapped at the laptop’s screen, trying to explain the concept of “connecting to the network.” Mavis was having none of it. “Wait, you want me to talk to invisible spirits in the air?”

“Grandma, it’s not—” Timmy began before being interrupted.

“I knew it! Spirits, right! They’ve come for me at last!” Mavis cackled, rummaging through her dusty drawers for sage. She started waving the bundle around the laptop, muttering an incantation.

Timmy blinked, bewildered. “Grandma, you’re just supposed to type in the password!”

“Password?” Mavis paused, still holding the sage like a wand. “Ah, that’s what they call the magic words now, huh? I knew it was a password!” She turned toward the laptop and muttered, “I banish thee! To the realm of high-speed connections!”

Timmy sighed and finally typed in the WiFi password. A click. A chime. The laptop lit up.

“Ah! It’s working!” Mavis gasped. “I’ve summoned the portal!”

Timmy, facepalming, just grinned. “I think you mean ‘connected.’”

From that day forward, Mavis was hooked on “surfing the web”—though, she still insisted the WiFi was enchanted. But if you asked her how it worked, she’d give you a knowing look and say, “It’s all about the magic words. And maybe a bit of thyme.”

author, books, indie author, self-publish, WIP

Winter Time & Rye

Writing is hard. I have the plot points and stories tumbling around in my head. However, getting them from my head to the page (either digital or pen & paper) is tricky. Then I worry over dialogue, does my character have enough growth, and why am I still stuck at 10,000 words?

Sadly, I’m stuck on 10,000 words on all four of my current WIP’s because I write like I’m on crack and chase the high, in this case whichever WIP has my interest. It’s not crack, it’s just ADHD and the dopamine. Still, I need to settle down and focus.

My shifter series, two of the current four books, is kicking my butt. Then again, so is my contemporary romance series, working title “Toolbelts & Kink.” Hopefully, as winter continues to send temperatures into the negatives I’ll curl up at my desk and the high will return. Especially, if I had some whiskey to my hot tea.

I do have a goal of finishing both introductory novellas to each series soon…

Books & Brew,

Bea