literature – Page 3 – Sarah Michelle Lynch

Posted on July 9, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

Release Day Blitz – Sales and Freebie

Note From the Author

The Sub Rosa Trilogy has been a part of my life for almost eighteen months but last summer when I finished Book One, Unbind, I wasn’t sure I had the energy or the inclination to write more in the series. This almost did not happen. It was always in the back of my mind that the series could be a trilogy but for some reason, I was hesitant to make it so. However I’m happy to confirm I’m really glad people asked for more and I’m really pleased with what I’ve ended up with!

Now, I finally bring you the third and final book in the series. Would I like to write more of these characters? The answer is yes. Will I? No. Absolutely not. I have to leave it where it is now. The story is wrapped up and that’s that. I might write extra scenes, release deleted scenes, but the story ends in Unleash. These characters can only live on in readers now. So it’s with sadness I say goodbye, it’s with happiness and anticipation I let the books fly free.

Get your hands on my latest release, OUT TODAY!

BLURB:

Have you ever fallen for the wrong person – knowing they’re not the one for you?

For Kayla Tate, pain and disappointment are all she has ever known when it comes to love. Is it that she never learned from her mistakes? Or is there a ghost from her past she’s yet to lay to rest?

Kayla embarks on a journey during which harsh lessons will be learned and relationships will be tested. It seems to centre around the Sub Rosa mystery, but where will she begin to unpick the threads? All she knows is that something doesn’t add up . . .

Kayla’s heartbreaking story is about lifelong friendships, taking chances and finding that one person who’s willing to risk it all with you – at exactly the right time.

FOR A LIMITED TIME, you can download the series for just £1.98/$1.98…

DOWNLOAD BOOK ONE FREE: http://mybook.to/unbind

DOWNLOAD BOOK TWO FOR 99c/99p: http://mybook.to/unfurl

DOWNLOAD BOOK THREE FOR 99c/99p: http://mybook.to/unleash

TEASER

Unleash is a story about love though it does answer a lot of questions left unanswered regarding the Sub Rosa secrets. I wanted to write a perfect love which has the most imperfect beginning and not only is it a perfect love, it’s a perfect love between two hugely flawed characters. It’s about how people in real life come to the BDSM lifestyle and how the lifestyle can be abused but also, how BDSM can change the lives of people and bring them closer than they ever imagined possible.

And, that’s that.

♡♡Enjoy!♡♡

Check out all the books today: http://author.to/sarahmichellelynch

Posted on June 7, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

Some more new reviews…

The Sub Rosa Trilogy is one you’ll start and not be able to turn your back on, if the reviews and messages I’ve had from readers so far are anything to go by! It’s only a couple of days now until I reveal the cover for the third book, UNLEASH, and so it’s a good time to start getting stuck into the series with the first book UNBIND.

ONLY today I received this review of UNFURL and this bit of the review pretty much sums up what the series has in store:-

Finding not truths, but in fact more layers of lies, Chloe and Cai weave through a complex story of shame, guilt, abuse and love that seems to visit all hidden facets of human behaviour. With gangsters and art, deaths and secrets, revelations and love, Unfurl truly is a masterpiece from Sarah Michelle Lynch. One to be damned proud of!

An alternative name for this book though that came to mind was UNLOCK, for when the petals of this story do unfurl, complete with UNBIND, the doors of this thrilling piece unlock. You can almost hear the key scrape as it turns, and the characters follow its course to the inevitable yet captivating conclusion.

In short. Yes! I loved it!

Read the FULL REVIEW here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RIDZCYIY2ND3Q

If you’re looking for a series to get your teeth stuck into this summer, this might be it. This has sex, secrets, lies, deceit, death, destruction, mystery . . . and so much more to come!

Keep up to date with the latest news by following this blog sarahmichellelynch.wordpress.com or by giving the SML fanpage a like or following me on Twitter @SarahMichelleLy

Readers of romantic mysteries in particular do not want to miss out! Download today!

Posted on May 28, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

6 WEEKS TO GO . . .

UNLEASH, the last book in the Sub Rosa Trilogy . . .

Have you ever fallen for the wrong person—even knowing they’re not the one for you—yet you just can’t help yourself?

Pain and disappointment, it seems, is all Kayla Tate has ever known when it comes to love. She’s yet to realise why. Is it that she never learned from her mistakes? Or is there something about her past she’s yet to lay to rest?

Kayla is about to embark on a frantic period of activity, during which many lessons will be learned and relationships will be tested. It all centres around the Sub Rosa mystery, but where will she begin to unpick the threads? All she knows is that something doesn’t add up…

Kayla’s heartbreaking story is about lifelong friendships, taking risks and finding that one person who’s willing to fall with you—at exactly the right time.

GENRE: Women’s literature/romantic suspense

* * * *

So, there’s the blurb for the final book in the series! The cover reveal will take place on JUNE 9TH, a month before release, and if you want to help out and spread the word, record your interest here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1h5oHPdmK14wvVAniRoOawPCmVRogHNtV8NHc5uLo_pg/viewform

UNLEASH, OUT JULY 9TH, 2015!!

* * * *

You really, really NEED to read the first two books before you read the third. Chloe and Cai’s story features in books one and two, UNBIND and UNFURL, but UNLEASH is the story of Chloe’s best friend, Kayla. All are interconnected stories.

Get started today, while book one and two are on SALE!

Posted on May 11, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

#MondayBlogs – Why Write Serials?

Many modern authors (myself included) have been accused of writing serials and I quote “to earn more money” from eBook sales (I BLOODY WISH). So when my husband (and editor) suggested I write this blog post, I thought why not?

So, serials. Personally I’ve read quite a few erotic serials. I like them. It can feel a treat to download a series in one go because serials are quick to write and quick to read. Serials by nature are full of suspense and keep you wanting more. Good serials even keep you coming back to re-read them. I understand the appetite amongst readers for serials. Sometimes, a short is just what we want and need—a break from the heavy novels we might otherwise be absorbing ourselves in.

One of the most famous serials of all is Sherlock Holmes, serialised in various publications. There are many more short stories in the Holmes collection than there are novels. It worked! People still love Holmes to this day. My husband has the anthology and has read the whole collection. In winter on a stormy night, we often pull out the Jeremy Brett DVDs but I am also partial to a bit of Cumberbatch, too (aside from the last episode of the most recent series, but that is another matter…)

Why did it work for Holmes, then? Well, he was/is a well-loved character and sometimes, people just want a short story to get their teeth into on a bus/train journey or over a nice hot cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. A short story can be a real treat because you know it won’t take long to read and it doesn’t feel such a commitment, therefore it’s more casually enjoyed. When the main character is already established, too, there is no need for the wider context to be expanded and therefore, a reader can get stuck in straight away.

I’ve always been told writing short stories is a great way to hone your craft. For years I avoided short stories though, because I felt I would be contained by them. What I realised when I finally sat down to write a short story, was that when you’re dealing with something in the 20 to 40,000 word region than say 100,000, you write tighter and neater. It’s a psychological thing. You also unconsciously strive to achieve more within that smaller word count. Over time I’ve come to appreciate that working on a few different projects at once can enlighten the whole process you’re going through as a writer. You can work on something else if your current WIP has come to a standstill. Different skills enrich the whole—and everything becomes so streamlined, the number of drafts you find yourself producing lessens and lessens.

As a reader, sometimes I want to be shocked and taken on an unexpected journey and I think short stories are the format for some of the more adventurous tales out there. Plus, short stories allow the reader so much input of their own. Personally I’m finding writing short stories liberating and the scope to take characters onwards and develop their back stories is so exciting.

Sometimes a writer just needs a bit of R&R, just like a reader does. Some readers don’t have time to dedicate themselves to a novel, some readers find staring at words for long periods of time difficult. Often, I put books up for FREE and I do so to engage a readership and introduce a character or a story.

Sometimes, we just want to write something fun and frivolous and sometimes, just sometimes, other people get onboard with a serialisation. The beauty of a serial is you don’t know where it is going to go and anything could happen. The series could develop into something beyond your wildest dreams, and all from a little seed you sowed with the thought, I’m just going to write this and have fun!

Why do I write? I ask this question all the time because I constantly need to remind myself (writing is genuinely hard, day in, day out, but a writer writes because it’s who they are). I write to be free and I write because I know each time I put my hands to the keys, I’m constantly finding more in the tanks. Sometimes you just don’t know the value of something until you embrace it. I just look at the likes of Sylvia Day and I can totally appreciate why even she wants to write serials, still. After all, why do marathon runners not bother with 26-mile training sessions? At the end of the day, whether we are very successful or have a small, loyal readership, we’re all just writers beneath and the writer we start out as is the person to some extent we will always remain. Pressure and expectation added, it becomes a whole new ballgame of course, but we’re still just writers. We embark on a writing life with nothing but a glint in our eyes and a hope in our hearts and in the beginning everything comes from the very earnest parts of ourselves, until we learn how to hone.

You give an animal a cage and one day, they are going to try to escape. You give them some toys, but one day they are going to get bored of them. It’s the same as branding a writer a novelist or an essayist or a playwright or whatever. Call someone a poet but be prepared to be shocked if they one day produce a novel instead. Readers and sometimes the hype machine makes an author, it is that simple. But make an author all about Harry Potter and she might have to use a nom de plume when she wants to write something else. Because at the end of the day, JKR is still that author she started out as with just a wing and a prayer and her love of words. Giving a writer success is beautiful and scary and something I deeply fear because I’m a writer at the end of the day and to be told I can’t write this or that, or being held hostage by a publishing contract… would be like clipping the wings from a bird and telling them to get used to walking. To be judged so heavily on what I’ve written before would probably shake my love of this altogether. The opportunity to experiment is a privilege and it’s why writers have pseudonyms. Many of us write serials or companion novellas or prequels or whatever, because many, many readers like to read the extra added details. Variety is the spice of life and without it, there really wouldn’t be any creativity.

Posted on April 28, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

The Work in Progress (w.i.p.) Blog Tour

Writer and blogger Ebony Angel, who currently resides over at angelwithadirtyface.com, tagged me to share a little something of what I am currently working on. I recently met this lovely lady at the Peterborough signing and you should definitely check her out and follow the thread back to who tagged her and who tagged them and who tagged who… just keep the chain going!

This task made me think hard about what to share because my current WIP is full of potential spoilers for Unbind and Unfurl, books one and two in the SUB ROSA TRILOGY. The snippet that follows is from book three Unleash and I haven’t released many details about this book yet, but obviously it’s the last and final SUB ROSA book . . .

I’m going to tell you nothing about Unbind and Unfurl except those two books are Cai and Chloe’s story and this one is Kayla’s. Kayla’s story goes into a little bit more depth about hers and Chloe’s childhood and draws together all the threads previously laid out in books one and two. There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes that Chloe doesn’t know about and basically, this snippet gives you some idea of the network of people embroiled in the SUB ROSA secrets. Unleash picks up exactly where Unfurl left off. Below, I have removed some spoilers with the mark […]

Kayla has been an absolute scream to write. The research and well, just everything about the last book, has been an exhilarating, rollercoaster ride . . . and I can’t wait for you to get to know her better. So let’s go . . .

EXCERPT:

Valentine’s. There couldn’t be a worse day to be single, right? Wrong! I love being single. I’ve learned to love being single! What’s not to love, right? I don’t have unwashed pants to pick up off my floor nor any used condoms stuck to the toilet bowl or the bottom of my refuse bin. Plus the biggest bonus is that I know nobody can cheat on me as long as I am single.

When I finished university twelve years ago, I left my hometown behind and moved to London—basically for a man—and for the next nine or ten years (I don’t like to count the wasted time), I lived in misery. All because of my ex, Rob, a serial cheat I held onto for longer than I should’ve done and all because he was a vicious cycle I couldn’t stop repeating.

Now I’m free, what’s not to like about being single? Well, no sex is a bit of a downer but then again there are battery operated devices. Then again I could do one-night stands if I wanted to. If I wanted to. I’ll never be that type. [. . .]

My best friends Chloe and Cai are opening a gallery tonight. So here I am. Getting legless and swooping about the place like the social butterfly everyone has come to view me as. It’s how I’ve gotten here and it’s how I’ll stay in this world, I tell myself—being the flame every moth gravitates towards.

Except some days I feel so dark inside, I need other types of darkness to obliterate me. Like heavy metal throbbing in my ears at full blast from a pair of headphones or a bottle of bourbon I might find my way to the bottom of, so that I might find the bottom of me. It never works.

Cai has really good taste. This place is not only lit well, but huge. Like, massive. I could start running from the front door and have built up a full sprint before I reach the other end of the room. In the centre of the main downstairs gallery, a long row of leather armchairs and sofas divides the room, all of them facing opposite ways like musical chairs. Standing by a wall on my own, in my already slightly drunken haze, I imagine this being a great venue for a Christmas party, some bad Noddy Holder tune stopping as at least three hundred people try to squeeze their arses into the Chesterfields. I laugh to myself. My mind drifts easily, I guess.

The artwork in here is worth in excess of £1billion and no foppish Christmas party will ever take place inside. In fact, the armed staff in starched shirts are casting such a presence on this room, nobody could have fun without worrying they’d get bounced at the door. Anyway, back to the subject. The original floors have been polished to within an inch of their lives. I get that my best friend’s husband likes wood—he’s American after all—but this stuff in here is pretty amazing. Chloe told me he had the floor pulled up and all of it completely restored piece by piece. The walls are all painted a crisp white and offset the exceptional artwork hanging all around. [. . .]

When the racket of shouting photographers and screaming fans from outside hits the inside of the gallery, I groan and toss my head back. I grab another glass of fizz from a passing waiter and drown more of my sorrows. I know the only person on the guest list tonight who commands that kind of reaction is Carl Sorensen. [. . .]

I know he’s here because the hairs on the back of my neck are on end and my heart is racing so fast! Defiant, I turn my back on the room and absorb myself in the glass I’m holding—and in thinking about plans for my new business. I try to forget HIM, but it’s difficult.

All I feel is the heat in my cheeks evoked by the mere thought of Carl Sorensen, whom I haven’t even laid eyes on yet. However, I know he’s here. I feel him in the room. Every pore of me reacts to his proximity.

I hear Cai’s voice before I hear Carl’s but I know they’re walking across the room together, Carl’s arm around Cai’s shoulder. I see their images reflected in the large windows at the back of the gallery.

God, so, they’re best buds now?

Ugh.

I toss a side glance in their direction and now I feel even worse than I did before. He looks absolutely, unbelievably gorgeous in a designer suit.

Cai leads Carl to the temporary bar set up in one corner and the two chat sociably for a couple of minutes before Cai is collared by one of those arty farty types you thought only ever left their houses for bread, milk or cigarettes. Seems not.

Carl’s head jolts when he catches my eye. For a second I’m not thinking, not even sure I’m feeling, I’m just lost in his eyes. Then I remember…

* * *

I’d now like to tag my friend, romance author Audrina Lane to share some of her WIP and tell you more about her books. Also, I’m going to tag fantasy author Blake Rivers who has been a huge support! I hope you guys are able to share something!

Thanks x x x

Posted on April 20, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch · 1 Comment

★★★★★ read free to download

UNBIND, the first novel in the thrilling, romantic SUB ROSA trilogy, is available to download for free this week (Monday 20th April-Friday 24th April). Get your copy now! Follow this link»»»

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE NOW

“I don’t need anything like this in my life. When I say I don’t need it, I really mean I don’t need it. That being said, yesterday I arrived at work early and stood in the kitchen making coffee. When I looked out the window, I saw this babe on the street staring up at the building, like she was looking right into my eyes.” – Cai Matthews

Book Two, UNFURL, is out NOW and also available to download or purchase in paperback. Check out Books and Beyond’s five star review below (only read it after you have read UNBIND!)…

5.0 out of 5 stars Gifted by author in exchange for an honest review. 13 April 2015

By Books and Beyond Fifty Shades – Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition

Cai and Chloe are trying to live as normal life as possible. All that changes when Cai’s past comes back to haunt him…again. When Jennifer dies, Chloe is shocked that Cai doesn’t care that she’s dead. What Chloe doesn’t know is Cai has been waiting for when it would happen. Can Chloe help Cai deal with his past and all the damage between the two families? Cai must find a way to deal with his past without losing Chloe. Is Chloe strong enough to help Cai deal with his past?

This dark romance shows how as much as you want to protect the ones you love; you can’t. Cai must trust Chloe to help him fight the demons that won’t go away. But are the lies and deceit going to be too much for Chloe to handle? I thought I couldn’t love this series anymore after I read Unbind, but once I was finished with Unfurl I changed my mind. This series is a MUST READ!

We finally have the ending to Chloe and Cai’s story and I promise you it’s not one to be missed. If you thought that Unbind had crazy secrets, Unfurl takes it one step farther. All the mystery of Cai’s past comes together and I literally screamed when 2 big reveals happened. Sarah Michelle does a beautiful job tying up all loose ends from Unbind. Again, she is so descriptive with her writing that you can literally see this all happening in your head. The characters are more relatable than ever.

I truly hope you give them a chance; I promise you that you will not be disappointed!!

Check out other SML sales and releases:

http://author.to/sarahmichellelynch

Posted on April 12, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

Two Modes Make a Book

In the beginning when I first started writing novels I was writing because I had an idea that just wouldn’t be contained and I had to write it. There were no two ways.

Several novels on, however, there ARE two ways.

These days I write with handwritten notes by my side, perhaps even a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. Sometimes I’ll have mapped a character and fleshed them out in note form from their birthday to their height, their sexual preferences to their dress sense, before they’ve even uttered their first bit of prose or dialogue on the blank, old, fictional page.

We’re told time and time again, there are so many different ways to write a book but the most important thing is to actually just get it written. If only that were so simple.

As an experienced writer now, I do have the pre-planning stage mastered. However I still have to listen to my other mode of by the seat of my pants sometimes because that approach is just as invaluable as the other. Sometimes if you’re too calculated, the reader knows it, and there’s less intrigue then. It becomes predictable.

Constrained by all these notes and preformed ideas, sometimes you can find yourself bogged down or contained, curtailed. It doesn’t feel nice, sometimes, writing to a method you’ve already written out. Like cooking, really, without tasting the food—even the perfect method might go wrong because you didn’t converge with the meat and the potatoes of your recipe and you thought the balance of ingredients would work out well just because the words on the page said so. Sometimes creative freedom is everything. The beauty and exhilaration of writing for me, in the beginning, was writing not knowing where the story was going. To experience the story as everyone else will is amazing—because if you’re pantsing, you’re seeing the action happen like a reader will.

There’s sometimes a point you’ll come to when you’re writing a book and I call it Writer’s Aggression. It’s where you feel you want to jack it all in or scrap it and start again. The anger of The Block (where nothing is flowing and you feel you’re climbing an ever-building brick wall) can sometimes be all-consuming and writing is no longer enjoyable. You know instinctively something is wrong or doesn’t feel good, and the end feels like it will never get here, and you feel like that novel you wrote in half the time last year must have been so much better because it was so much easier.

WRONG.

So when I encounter The Block, what I do is step away from writing altogether or write something else. I’ve been doing that recently and I’m currently working on two things at once because I need distance from the big thing I’m writing.

Writing is faith. It’s keeping going even when it’s really hard and it doesn’t feel good and you’re not sure it’s going well. I read too many books these days full of hyperbole and flowery language. Readers are clever, they don’t need that. It is a bugbear of mine, but that’s just my opinion. I think all that yucky, gooey muck is what we write when we don’t have a clue what else to write. Hands up who’s guilty!

ME!

Readers are sensitive creatures who give meaning to the story themselves as soon as they turn the first page. I think the writer’s job is to provide readers with the foundation to make the story their own. Write the story, not the metaphor of the century. (Maybe I am still suffering a tad of Writer’s Aggression!)

I’m around the 75% stage of my current Work In Progress (well the big one, Unleash…not the other book, a novella I’m also working on) and it’s only now at 75% that I’ve reached that moment where the lights have reached full power and the party is ready to start, the drink’s flowing and everybody’s talking now and some have even been brave enough to get up on the dance floor and… it’s going to be one hell of a night, you know it.

I realised just this morning why I’ve felt so horrified for so long that this book doesn’t feel good; it’s because I’ve always known, deep down in the back of my mind, that what I have to do with Unleash will not be easy. I’ve been subconsciously avoiding something. I’ve been living the story through my main character, Kayla, and I’ve been with her every step of the way and she’s now gotten to that light-bulb moment where the fundamental pieces of what makes her, her, have become clear. Now she doesn’t know what to do about it. There are tons of people this must happen to in life; you’ve spent years thinking you know who you are, what you are, where you’re going—and out of the blue an exemplary force suddenly steps into your domain and you’re then stood in a huge corn field the size of Texas, with nowhere else to go because whichever direction you run in, it won’t get you anywhere fast—unless you have the bravery to reach for that vehicle right beside you which is damn scary but will take you exactly where you want to go.

Writing a happy ending is the easiest thing in the world. It makes everyone feel good about themselves. It’s great. It’s what a lot of readers and writers need to distract them from the difficulties and rigours of their everyday lives. I love a happy ending. However, there’s the literary argument that a happy ending won’t stay with you. The warm, gooey feeling you experience from a HEA will leave you quickly and you’ll move onto your next fix. The book hangover, however, will stop you in your tracks and you won’t forget that one in a hurry. You might not even move on from it, ever.

What if, you’re writing a whole book knowing all the while the story might not give your protagonist their happy ending? But… but… what I’m writing might resonate so strongly with so many, it’ll all be worth it! The pain will be worth it. But… but… it fucking hurts to be writing this shit!

The more I write, I realise art has to represent life and life sometimes does not turn out the way you expect. I never rate a story five stars unless it provokes tears in me and right now, the story I’m writing isn’t even provoking tears—it’s provoking a welling need to write, to get this down now, to eke out this burning feeling in my chest. To gulp the ether of this horrific story of circumstance and spew it out before I choke. I have a horrible feeling of dread and yearning, longing and discovery. I’m stood at World’s End, ready to throw myself in. I don’t have time for the tears right now. They’ll come later, creating wells no doubt as I gulp fresh air on the other side. Kayla is about to learn, you don’t want people standing by your side in life who cushion you, you want those willing to jump with you, willing to race the race, fight fire with fire, give as good as you get… and all that bling.

The Click just happened for me. It’s what we all long for as writers. It all clicked into place and the planning was worth it, so was deviating a little from the plan, and now I’m looking from a bird’s eye view at the whole of Texas and I’m in charge of the story again and I know what to do. The snail-pace, 200-words days are done with and it’s time to jump into the fiery pits of hell. It’s going to cost me to write the rest but what is the point otherwise? If you don’t feel it, nobody else will.

So maybe if you’re enduring The Block, what you’re actually enduring is just a subconscious unwillingness to embrace the story. The story won’t manifest unless you take time to listen; the most important weapon in a writer’s arsenal.

Some stories aren’t always expected, or pretty, or happy, but they’re real.

Posted on April 9, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch

Catching Up with the Joneses – for fans of Angel Avenue

Recently I re-read one of my own novels (oh the vanity!!!). It was quite nice actually, and because of the distance I’ve put between myself and this novel now, I was reading it as if from a new reader’s perspective (almost).

Angel Avenue was a novel I wrote in a rush of affection and nostalgia for young love and the city I went to university in and still live nearby. In the novel, Angel Avenue, I never state the setting is Hull. I guess I wanted you, the reader, to envisage the world of this novel as any place – anywhere. I never state the main, bustling avenue Jules and Warrick live on and around is Angel Avenue, because there is no such thing as Angel Avenue. There’s Newland Avenue in Hull – and many of the other sites I’ve described in the novel are real, too. You can go visit them! How glamorous, eh? The title Angel Avenue was suggested to me by my husband Andrew. The original title was Losing Laurie and the book originally was centred around the idea of this woman, Jules, transferring the loss of her mother to a man who did the dirty on her. Like a mourner who goes to their loved one’s grave on a specific day of the week, maybe every day, Jules returns to the spot she met Laurie. I think it is difficult to understand Jules’ psychology but the moral of this book, Angel Avenue, is hidden very carefully within the pages. I focused on etching the characters and the build-up of real love (not teenage or lust-fuelled love) but actual, long-lasting love.

Warrick is a man given a second chance at life and since he washed himself clean of all his vices, he’s not taken them up again. There’s a splice between innocence and experience in this book – and it’s experience which redeems Warrick – because he saves Jules. A teacher, she in turn gets a new reputation for herself at school for being a cool, ballerina/dancer chick, and when the kids find out Jules and Warrick are together – they trust him too. And thus, a paedophile ring and a traumatic case of bullying are uncovered in this novel. Therefore, ANGEL AVENUE this is, because wouldn’t we love such difficult problems to be solved so easily in real life, eh? Jules’ life was fucked up by her parent’s addictions and she triumphs professionally, yet falls down personally.

I read recently that it takes a hard heart to write a tender novel and this is so true of me and this novel, Angel Avenue. This novel was a terrific salve for me after finishing the gruelling and brain-taxing novels A Fine Profession and A Fine Pursuit. Perhaps I recently re-read Angel Avenue because I needed some salve again!

Anyway, after doing my re-read, a scene came to me which I wrote a few weeks ago now. In the actual novel, which I will never add to or subtract from because it’s exactly how Jules and Warrick told their tale to me at the time, we have an epilogue from Warrick’s POV. But not one from Jules.

What follows now is an epilogue from Jules’ POV. You’re now catching up with the Joneses a few years after they met, as they navigate married and family life. If you haven’t read the novel, you might not want to read this extra/extended epilogue. However, I don’t think this will spoil your enjoyment of Angel Avenue too much if you do decide to go back and read the main novel. After all, it’s the way they fall in love that counts.

When we first had the twins, I was frightened to death of dropping one of them. I was terrified of all sorts and I relied on Warrick for everything. I only know how to be a parent because of him, because I never really had a parent of my own, not one I remember well enough anyway. Everything before my eighth birthday, I’ve blocked out, because that was when Mum was alive and I don’t allow myself to remember how happy I was before she was stolen from me.

To read the full epilogue, click the link below…

Put the kettle on, kick your feet up, and revisit my favourite fictional couple. Well, no I can’t say that, because they stand alongside Cai and Chloe, Lottie and Noah, Seraph and Ryken (and a few others I can’t tell you about yet…)

Just…. enjoy! 😉

DOWLOAD: Jules’ epilogue

Purchase Angel Avenue in paperback or eBook:

Posted on March 16, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch · 4 Comments

The #PeterboroughAuthorEvent 2015 and a PLEA TO REVIEW!

This will be a rather self-indulgent blog post and I will not apologise for this! LOL.

It was around a year ago (I think) that I agreed to attend this event thinking, it’s ages away, it’ll be a laugh, yet as the day approached I realised I had no idea what I had got myself into! I had to get serious all of a sudden. I needed stuff to take with me for a start and trust my luck, some of my recent novels didn’t arrive through the post on time, including a batch of Unbinds – and I still don’t know where the shipment is!

On the morning of the event, I suddenly felt a little bit sick. I was reminded of the morning of my wedding when I stepped into the shower and vomited into my hand just because so much preparation had gone into that one day. Anyway, on March 14th I was thankfully not sick but I only managed a pot of tea and a miniature patisserie at my hotel before we had to make the walk to another hotel down the road, where said author signing was taking place. Once inside the Great Northern in Peterborough, I was greeted by chaos and activity and the nerves disappeared because it was time to get on with it all!

The first girl to my table told me she thought A Fine Profession was amazing and refreshing, she really liked it, and she bought a copy of A Fine Pursuit there and then. Great start, right! While sat at our table, my hub and I got to talking about my back catalogue and his favourite of the bunch remains A Fine Pursuit. I asked why and he said the psychology and the challenge of unpicking a character as interesting as Noah Yeardley. Anyway, (I did mention this would be a self-indulgent post, but I’m feeling a rare sense of pride right now), yet more people came to my table either just to chat, have me sign books, take swag or whatever. I was just happy people were approaching me!

I was shocked when one lady had one of my protagonists’ names printed on her t-shirt. O.M.G. Feckin’ fab. Said lady was very nice, asked for my picture with her, and mentioned she’d endeavoured to work her way through a book from each of the authors attending which was no easy job, given there were 30+ authors at said event. Not only romance authors but crime, horror and all kinds in between.

My favourite burlesque blogger, the lovely Louise from Passionate Page Turner

I was also blown away when quite a few people produced photo books with a page dedicated to each author, book covers on show and some quotes too! It’s at that point I realised that people have access to me and not only that, they’re interested too and want to make me a part of their community. Most of the time, authors sit at a laptop with only their own company because that’s the life of an author. Or so it always seemed to me!

Anyway like I said, I had no expectations of this event and it was my first big event, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I certainly felt a bit more assured than I did when I did my first library talk a couple of years ago, and certainly more assured than when I did a writers’ group talk last year and a book club one too – and I’ll tell you why! Last Saturday I was actually in the company of other authors who’ve also taken the step, as I have, to either self-publish or publish their work and ‘put themselves out there’. It’s really not something I did lightly and I know most other Indies like me didn’t take that step lightly either. To have that camaraderie is amazing, regardless of which route in publishing you’ve taken.

The overall feeling I took away from Peterborough was that most people want to read and most people want to write for all the right reasons. Everyone was so supportive and gracious of one another. The people I spoke to were more than aware how hard it is to get a footing in the writing world and yet we all do it for the love of words. Everyone I spoke to that day was genuinely passionate about books! They’re the best people in my eyes!

It was refreshing to step away from my laptop for a day or two and actually reflect on everything I’ve achieved so far. I think a lot of writers forget to reflect because we live in such a fast-paced world and hardly have time to draw breath! Sometimes we just have ideas we have to pursue and the world moves around us as we dedicate ourselves to writing a book, which is a risk and a sacrifice, but never not worth it (as I’ve come to realise).

Some readers told me they absolutely got one book of mine and others told me they got another. From my point of view, all I’m ever working with is the fact I know I can write and if I get an idea then great, I follow it. I write it and hope someone gets it. That’s all I do, because I love writing SO much. So when a person came to my table and said one of my books was their favourite last year, I was like WOW. Total bonus. One hundred thousand per cent bonus.

The thing with events like signings or whatever is the fear that you won’t get to speak to everyone for long enough or you forget to thank people, forget to meet everyone. I didn’t get round everyone because there were so many authors but there were some people I don’t think I will ever forget! I took away the feeling that it’s not always important to conquer the world, but to own what you do and really stand proud and represent that thing you do, whether it be as an author or as a reader or blogger or whomever or whatever your vocation in life is. Just own whatever it is you do well and be proud of your niche, because variety is what keeps the world evolving and without that, we really wouldn’t ever have change and that’s what I strive for all the time. Change might lead to something new and exciting.

WP_20150314_19_51_27_Pro — With my husband, aka Jimmy Carr

WP_20150314_19_17_08_Pro — Beautifully decorated table with book covers featuring all the attending authors’ books

After the books were signed that day and the banners and swag and tins of sweets put away, we sat down for a dinner and ball and that was when the day really got started for me. Speaking to one woman on my table, she asked me which is the book I’ve written that I believe in most. She also asked which book did I enjoy writing the most. I still say the book I enjoyed writing the most was Angel Avenue and I don’t think my opinion on that will ever change. I also happen to believe in that one the most. I explained to this lady that it’s a book some people just don’t get for whatever reason but I tried to tell her that sometimes it’s not about understanding everything in a book, it’s about how that book makes us feel about characters. I personally love books where you can read between the lines and take a moral away with you or just a feeling of thankfulness for everything we have in our own lives. I’ve written some pretty erotic stuff in the past, involving whips, chains, belts, dildos, you name it – I’ve never been shy of exploring all that. Human sexuality is the single most written-about thing on the planet. Yet despite all those other erotic books I’ve written, I still feel such a powerful, deep, not even sentimental but overawed emotion whenever I go back and pick up Angel Avenue and Warrick Jones (the guy printed on that lady’s t-shirt). He is the one male character I’ve written that I still think about. I’ll love him forever. So as we sat at that table, said lady clicked a few buttons on her phone and downloaded that book. That’s the world we live in now. Convenience. Expectation. Volume. Ease of access. Standing out in the crowd will never be easy because of this mass outpouring of creativity. It’s a blessing and a curse that anyone can publish relatively easily now. However, this particular author event proved to me that the people who succeed and the ones who remain authentic and original are the people who never sacrifice who they are and now I am glad to say I know some of those people personally! Passion really translates – and it really sells!

Far be it from me to reveal what us authors got up to later on in the night but the night owls amongst us who didn’t get to bed before 2.30a.m. laughed our socks off so much, we’re still talking about this and will be for months to come! A sign of a truly nourishing and fulfilling day! Amen to the organisers Hourglass Events and Orchard Book Club. They did a fantastic job, made a lot of authors realise they’re not alone in their fears, aspirations, dreams and endeavours… and more importantly we’ll all be back!

Many of us have signing hangovers for a number of reasons and I know I’m itching to meet people all over again very soon! Roll on Leeds 2016!

***

On a side note, I want to ask anyone who has enjoyed my books to please, please review them! Many people tell me they’ve loved my work and I just don’t see this love reflected on Amazon or Goodreads. Please do me the honour of just writing a line or two of review. It makes all the difference. It’s easy to read a book and leave it there, I am also guilty of this, but I try to review whenever I get chance. It not only helps other readers make a decision about their purchase but also drives more clicks to our pages and therefore hopefully more sales and hopefully more happy readers! Please review today and make everyone happy! Thank you!

Sarah On Amazon

Sarah On Goodreads

Posted on March 9, 2015 by sarahmichellelynch · 2 Comments

#New #Release – The Second Book in the Sub Rosa Trilogy

BLURB:

I’ll stab you in the heart.
I’m coming for you.
No secret dies.
But you will.

In the concluding part of Chloe and Cai’s tale of frantic, tempestuous, meaningful love…

When news breaks that enigmatic magazine editor Jennifer Matthews is dead, it irks Chloe that Cai refuses to shed even one tear. What she doesn’t know is that he was expecting it, perhaps even, hoping for it.

In this dark, romantic tale of revenge, Cai explodes the deepest, most destructive aspects of his past as he comes to terms with the tragedy at the heart of Jennifer’s downfall. With Chloe’s love and support, he must brave his demons and dodge death to finally end a bitter feud between two damaged families.

**This book is not intended to stand alone and is the second in a three-part series, concluding in UNLEASH – Kayla Tate’s story.**

EXCERPT:

“Tell me, when was it the hottest for you? Just now… or some other time?” she asked giggling, running her hands across my chest, nibbling my ear at my side.

“Hmm,” I murmured, stroking her butt, “it’s always hot.”

“No, I wanna know when… when was it the hottest for you, you can be honest.”

I licked the sweat from her neck and thought carefully. “Two times. I’m not sure which wins the contest, we might have to re-run.”

She cackled, her hand squeezing my butt beneath my slack jeans.

“Those two times, then?”

“The first time we ever did it,” I admitted, though that was a one-off I’d always told myself, “maybe, the time you tied me up, licked me all over, sucked my ass and rode me backwards cowgirl.”

She groaned. “Good times. Wanna know my favourites?”

I nodded against her shoulder. “Of course.”

“Well, Barbados… the first night of our honeymoon. I bathed in front of the ocean in that roll-top bath on the terrace, remember?”

“How could I forget?” I chuckled. “I thought someone would see.”

“You wrapped me in a towel afterwards and carried me to bed. You were angry the hotel forgot we didn’t ask for roses, but you lowered me to the roses on the bed anyway. You kissed every inch of me and I remember feeling so full, so womanly, as you worshipped my pregnant body.”

I ran my hands over her breasts and her flat stomach. “I love it when you’re so full and blooming. I love seeing you come alive.”

Her smile was carefree and she was so giggly. “I loved that night, it was the first time I couldn’t control my orgasms, the first time I felt like I really had no control of my body or my love for you. It scared me… but it was wonderful.”

I stared down into her eyes, our noses touching, knowing I would never feel so close to another human being for as long as I lived. “And the other time memorable for you?”

She smiled and held my cheek, one eyebrow cocked dramatically. “The night I tied you up.”

“Ding, ding, ding. I think we have a winner.” I growled in her ear, and asked, “I think it stands out because we haven’t done it since, yeah?”

“Yeah… I didn’t know whether you’d wanna do it again,” she said clawing her hands through my hair.

I laughed, it was ironic! “I was worried you did it that one time to humour me, that you didn’t initiate it again because you didn’t really like it. I thought ’cause that fuck Klaus made you spank him and you didn’t enjoy it, I thought you didn’t really go for that sort of stuff!”

She rolled on top and tickled my armpits. “To be honest, I think I knew even back then his intentions weren’t honourable. I think a woman knows these things, Cai, even if sometimes she doesn’t want to admit it.”

“Feminine intuition?” I cocked a brow.

“Something like that,” she admitted, “he was nice, but somehow I dunno, not right.”

I grabbed her ass and kneaded it. “Men are simple in some ways, complex in others. Sometimes a man’s desires can make him feel a little out of control. Like, he can’t concentrate on a thing else. I know my libido sometimes takes precedent… and I’d hump you every chance I got if we didn’t have company, if we didn’t have kids. I suppose when a woman’s in charge and she lets you know it’s okay to be nasty, it’s such a turn on. When she tells you that you’re filthy and bad, dirty and disgusting, but you see it in her eyes that she enjoys that… fuck, just that is making me hard thinking about it. Just you, wearing something racy… something black and tight, a paddle in your hand or something… wanting to strike me. I could probably come on the spot, Chloe. It’s not in me to want to mark you, but I’d love it if you did that to me! Don’t ask me why, but fuck, I just think about it… I think I know why my mother did it to so many men. I think it gave her some outlet when she didn’t want sex, you know?”

She bit my chest, rolling a nipple under her thumb, my arousal steadily climbing. “I want to dominate you again. It’s one of the nights amongst the many amazing nights we’ve had that I’ve thought about a lot since.”

“God, me too. Me too, Chloe. Shall we go online now and order a ton of shit?”

She shook her head, her voice low and warning. “You div. I’m in charge. You’ll do as I say… you’ll do it when I say, how I say, you’ll do as you’re told, and you’ll come on demand for Mistress Chloe.”

eBook purchase: http://mybook.to/unfurl

paperback purchase: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unfurl-Volume-2-Sub-Rosa/dp/1508778248/

Click cover to buy Book One in the series:

Note From the Author

TEASER

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UNLEASH, the last book in the Sub Rosa Trilogy . . .

UNLEASH, OUT JULY 9TH, 2015!!

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