First off, it’s come to my attention that my blog email subscription doesn’t always work. Which is rather inconvenient if you’re trying to follow one of my serial stories via email. Obviously, I want to make this easy for people, so I’ve decided to set up the serials with their own little newsletter list.

The kicker is, if you want all of my blog posts, you’ll still either need to subscribe to the blog and take your chances with the RSS feed, or catch the links on FB, Tumblr and Twitter when they come out (honestly, that’s how I catch most blog links anymore, so I won’t be offended if you just do that). Using the “Follow on Facebook” button over there to the left will ensure you get my posts in your FB feed, and “Liking” my FB page will serve the same purpose.

If you only want the serial novels, or if you want to ensure that you get them even if the other feed is acting up, then you need to subscribe to the serial novel newsletter to the left (where it says “Subscribe to Serial Stories). The list for both Romantic Suspense serials (this blog and the Fantasy Ranch blog) are the same, so no need to sign up twice. There are separate lists for my erotica and thriller blogs that have replaced the “subscribe via email” option in the sidebar for both.

As a perk for those of you who go to all the trouble of signing up for the new list – Serial Story Newsletter subscribers will get the week’s chapter around midnight (MDT) instead of 6am (my time – 8am east coast). And when the serial story is done and ready to publish, newsletter subscribers will all get a coupon for a free digital copy of the final version.

Whew! Got all that? If it’s too confusing, leave me a comment or email me and we’ll figure out how to get what you need without too much overlap if possible.

So with all that taken care of...let’s pick a new serial story! The Minister’s Maid will be posted once weekly on Tuesdays at FantasyRanchNovels.com – so head over there (or subscribe to the serial list) for your weekly visit to Fantasy Ranch. It seemed more appropriate to put it over there.

As for this blog, the serial will go back to one day a week on Fridays, and I have two stories for you to choose from. They’re both stand-alone romantic suspense, and I make no promises as to what the final length will be (Novellas? Novels? Who knows?). Cast your vote either in the comments, on FB or Twitter, and I’ll announce the winner on Monday.  

Story 1: Pass the Pepper

Opening Scene: A nice restaurant, and a first date. It’s awkward, boring, and uncomfortable. Which sucks, because this girl has wanted to date this particular guy for *ages*. She asks him to pass the pepper, and he does, but then gets a strange look on his face. She excuses herself, and goes to the restroom to call her friend. She needs a 911 assist like 5 minutes ago to save her from this excruciating date. When she goes back to the table, he’s gone. But there’s a note on the back of the paid check, held in place with the pepper shaker. Stay away.

When his date leaves, he barely notices – because he’s lost in a past memory triggered by the pepper shaker. Realizing what he’s done, and that he’s put his date in grave danger, he pays the check, scribbles a note on the back of the receipt, and anchors it with the pepper shaker before he leaves.

His date is a reporter…and after three nights of becoming increasingly angry about that note, she decides to confront him. Only he’s not at his house. Or his job. Or anywhere he should be. Finally she tracks him down and forces her to tell him the whole story, and by then, it’s run or be killed… (?)

Story 2: Falling in Public

Romance or erotica writer goes to Hollywood for the screening of a movie made from one of her books, and several interviews/appearances for that. She figures that while she’s there, she may as well see the sights, and get some new experiences in, knowing it will spawn new ideas. She decides to visit an exclusive nightclub, and rather than having anyone make a reservation for her, she decides to stand in line with the other hopefuls to see what it’s like.

This is the start of a stalker-story, all wrapped up with misunderstandings, public insults, rock stars and ultimately a near-breakdown. I actually have a full page of notes for this, but if I showed them to you, it would give most of the story away. 

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I’ve had both of these ideas hanging around for the better part of a year now, and I’m excited to write either one, so there’s no bad choice here. What’s your pleasure?

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