It’s Been A While! 8-22-2023 Author Update

It feels like ages since my last update. So let’s get to it!

First, I apologize to those who purchased The Dark Billionaire Trilogy from Barnes and Noble for your Nook. In error, I accidentally uploaded Intrigue as the book file. The issue should now be resolved. You should have the new version. Thankfully, B&N automatically pushes updated content to those who purchased the book.

Secondly – I changed the title to Once Upon A One-Night Stand. I figured I had a small window to decide what to do. The new title is Romancing The Boss, which is one-half of the current series title. I think a big mistake I make is titling a book before I complete it, and then, as I try to promote it, I find myself stuck in the box because of the title. I believe Romancing The Boss better reflects the story. That’s why I put it in the series title. However, content that reflects a book titled Once Upon A One-Night Stand differs significantly from one titled Romancing the Boss. And Lynx is THE Boss. He’s her boss. He’s everybody’s boss, and he’s on a quest to become the biggest boss of his life. And so that’s why I made the bold decision to implement the changes.

The second book in the series will not be Once Upon An Unrequited Love. In an earlier post, I discussed why that title has always irked me. I don’t think Max’s love was unrequited. It wasn’t that severe for him. Also, he didn’t love Lake – he was attracted to Lake, and that’s a big difference. So, the interim title is Romancing The Billionaire, but I want to put an adjective between The and Billionaire. So, give me time! 

The most challenging part about the title change was that I lost reviews and ratings, which were pretty awesome. I have to contact my ARC team for help because Negative Nancy loves a blank slate to barf her negativity. 

You know Negative Nancy, right? She only writes one-star reviews for the most part. She loves to be first, so she dreams of all the people she hopes she detours from reading the book. And the rare two or three stars she does give is for romance that doesn’t challenge her existing worldview.

And finally, I’m more than halfway done writing Max’s story. I’m moving slower than I want but not slower than necessary. I want to finish the book already, but I also want readers to have a deeply fulfilling journey. I can’t rush the story and do that too. This book has a twist: a revelation about the Lord Brothers of Manhattan and the series about the Grove cousins. 

I’m not someone who ignores the times. And so, if the most vocal romance readers resist being reminded of the mountain, then in the reality of my characters, the mountain cannot exist. That’s a clue.

And finally, as it stands, I’m keeping my Sept 26, 2023 release date, but I am not rushing this story. I’m taking my time and carefully crafting every scene and element of the story. My goal is to keep the heart involved as you read. And so, if I push the date back until mid-October, I’ll let you know! I can’t go past Oct 31, though. Any new release in November and December almost always bombs. lol

But I’ll keep you updated. I hope to complete the first draft before this month’s end, which means I better get cracking! I went to bed at 5:00 a.m. and woke up at 1 p.m. I had to get some administrative work done after writing. Sigh…

Okay!

I’ll give you an update a few weeks from now!

Best,
Z.L.