#TheLeftoverBride Diary – Three things I’m grateful for…

Today, I am sharing an additional diary entry from Sorcha (aka #TheLeftoverBride). Ryan & Sorcha’s story in the book takes place at the end of December, but Sorcha’s been writing in her diary ever since Nathan jilted her at the altar. Here’s her entry for September 21st :-).

#TheLeftoverBride is already available. Grab your copy now: Kindle, Kindle Unlimited & paperback. If you’ve already read it: don’t forget to leave a review. 🙂

Dear Diary, Dear Unknown Reader of The Future, Dear Alien archiving information about humanity,

Why are all my designs so shitty right now?

The dress I finished drawing a few minutes ago looks like crap. Literally. A mountain of crap. And I’m being generous. It’s too much and yet not enough. Even Tiramisu turned his back on the paper he usually loves to lay on.

It’s the fifth design I have to trash today. Should I count it toward the “Design 5 more wedding dresses” item on my “31 things to do before the 31^st list”? Maybe. We’ll see. I’ll give it another go tomorrow, even if ever since Nathan jumped on his horse and jilted me at the altar, inspiration has been lacking.

Understatement of the century.

My inspiration and any scrap of talent I had leaped behind #TheRunawayGroom and will never be seen again.

Another design bites the dust.

Time to get on with my list. Because that’s one of the few things I can control. Well, at least a little.

It’s September 21^st and for the past two months, as part of my list, I’ve been writing three things I’m grateful for every evening.

So here we go for today.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:

Think, Sorcha, think. You actually smiled today. Stop staring at your shitty designs and think.

Okay.

1. I had a pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin scone after lunch. Aisling’s trying yet another recipe and she doesn’t lack inspiration. The frosting she added on top with the vanilla beans is mouthwatering delicious;
   
2. Ava and I watched that baking show she loves with the actor Aisling totally has a crush on (I need to write that letter to him);
   
3. Ryan’s mom told me his physical therapy seems to work. Yes. Knowing Ryan is feeling better makes me smile. But that’s because I’m a genuinely kind person, right? Not because the butterflies in my stomach are thinking about taking a dancing class to waltz around every single time I think about Ryan.

#TheLeftoverBride is out now… Kindle & Kindle Unlimited & Paperback!

A second chance romance set during the holiday season in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: full of laughter and heartwarming moments (and some sexy moments), checklists, family dynamics, a stubborn cat, and a rescue dog.

All Sorcha O’Connor wants for Christmas is for her life to turn into a Hallmark movie—but sexier. Ryan Sawyer has a few things on his wishlist. First, he wants to stay away from Swans Cove. Second, he wants his NHL career back. And third, he wants Sorcha. Always has, always will.

GRAB IT ON AMAZON (KINDLE & KU) – GET A PAPERBACK COPY

Thank you so much for reading!

Follow me on Instagram – Bookbub – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – TikTok

Writing and Why and Working Through Things – The Raccoon Author's Self-Publishing Diary

I started listening to Abbie Emmons’ Make Your Story Matter, and one question she mentioned authors should ask themselves is "Why does your story matter?" And that immediately got stuck in my head in a loop. In this Dear Raccoon Author Diary episode, I’m talking about writing and why and working through things, lots of things—what I want readers to feel, what I sometimes work through myself within the pages, and how all of that fits alongside the very practical business side of being an indie author.How I want to both look at my numbers without losing my "why". I talk about Genevieve and Theodore and revising "A New Year's Eve Like No Other", about grief and Margie Lawson's deep EDITS technique, duets versus standalones both in terms of craft and revenue, read-through and audiobook and translations costs and oh, Amazon deciding to mess-up with permafree books, including mine.Basically, it's a very Raccoon Author mix of craft, feelings (lots of them) and numbers.And underneath it all, I keep coming back to that question: Why does this matter to me, and hopefully, to the readers?Abbie Emmons — Make Your Story Matterhttps://benbellabooks.com/shop/make-your-story-matter/🦝 Join me on Patreon — Raccoon Author tier:https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnookPreorder Cancer Is Not My Brand https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Margie Lawson:https://www.margielawson.com/And I’d love to hear from you: Why does your story matter? Elodie AT Elodienow.comHappy writing. And happy, happy reading. ❤️

1. Writing and Why and Working Through Things 19:55
2. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: The Venice Edition or an author on holidays… 05:45
3. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: Facebook Ads, Lucy Score & All the Ideas 11:00
4. Numbers Episode – 87 Books Sold, Less Than $100 in Royalties (and I'm Not Panicking) 29:22
5. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: Some Publishing Days Are Harder Than Others 09:26