Happy May!

Spring is here!

(Well, officially it's been here awhile, but it's finally FEELING like it's here in our neck of the woods, anyway!)

GUESS WHAT!!!!

I went to my VERY FIRST BOOK SIGNING!! 🥳

An AWESOME dynamic duo started a super cool romance book mobile in Huntsville, Alabama, less than a year ago, and THEY. HAVE. BOOMED! (Who knew a romance book mobile would be so well-received in such a cool town? 😉) This was their first event and it was HUGE! And I got to be part of it! I have to admit - when the first lady stopped at my booth, asked about Buck and Ruby, she then picked it up and said, "I'll buy it", I kind of just stared. She looked at me funny. Then I asked if she wanted me to sign it, and she looked back at me like I was brain-dead. "Uh, yeah...my name is..." She was a practiced hand at this. I was a babe in the woods. It felt pretty cool! So this was a definite a first for me and Blushing Books! Bravo to Anne Bagwell and Kayla Huebner of Blushing Books. Go check them out at: blushingbookshsv.com. I hope to spend a lot more time with them in the future!!

Cute Kitty Corner

Say hello to Google and Yahoo!

Yeeeaahh...their mamma and daddy are kinda geeky! But don't they look smart to you? Goog has been around the longest. He's our old man. Yahoo is the baby of the fam. And based on his infinite energy, he'll probably always be the baby of the family! I could hug them all day long!! (although Yahoo would allow that for all of 2.3 seconds, then off he bounces! It's his world, and we get to live in it!) ❤️

BOOKS (imagine that!)

So...this IS supposed to be a book newsletter, right? 🤔 I thought I'd share a little of my everyday. The first guy below in the cowboy hat is who I looked at every single day while Buck and Ruby were coming to life. I know Buck isn't a cowboy, but I kinda liked this guy...so I went with it. The next pics are of Raynor in my upcoming book Raynor and Rose.

Every single morning (usually around 4am or...sometimes earlier...😲) I log onto my wonderful MAC and open these pics on one monitor and start working on another. Yes, I talk to them. And they talk back. My covers are a little more obscured because I really want you to form your own pictures of who you are reading. Everyone reads a different version of the same books. I want it to be yours. These are mine! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Buck

Raynor at the ages of ten and forty

Raynor and Rose ✍️

Aren't those two pictures uncanny? I know they aren't the same man, but they sure look like they could be. I found them when I was going through my FILES AND FILES of pics I've collected while all my stories grow in my head. When I listened to (yes - they told me, I didn't tell them) Raynor and Rose begin to tell me their story, I was amazed when Raynor shared that he'd been in WITSEC since he was ten years old. What's WITSEC? Witness Security Program. You've heard about it. Protecting witnesses who turn on the bag guys. They usually are bad guys themselves and want a deal if they turn. Well, Raynor was never a bad guy. He was a young boy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. For the first ten years of his life. And there began Raynor and Rose. And I got to look at these pictures every single day for more than a year now. Not a hardship, I must say! 😉

Raynor and Rose just went to my editor today!! (thus why I can leisurely write this next newsletter! ;-). I'm expecting it to come back in about a month and then...well, in June, we'll see how close we'll be! I'll keep you posted! I love this book. They gave me things I'd never thought about in my life. Nor had I ever written. It indeed has been a challenge, but a fun one! I can't wait for it go live soon!

Short Stories

Did you know you can read two quick short stories that surround this world I'm building? YUP - Thomas and Annie is kind of a prequel of Buck and Ruby. And Gavin and Grace is a current story that is happening in tandem with both Buck and Ruby and Raynor and Rose. Actually, when I started mapping them out (remember - it's them telling me!) I was surprised to learn that all these stories run more in tandem rather than consecutively. You kind of have to pay attention. All couples live in this fictitious little community in southern Tennessee along the banks of Nickajack Lake.

So, these two Short Stories are now available and FREE on KU. Go read them! (Tap their pictures) They are pretty spicy (four chili peppers), heartfelt, and will leave you feeling happy! I love both of these couples! Gavin and Grace will definitely surprise you the most!! 🫦

You've Reached The End of This Newsletter! 🌞

I know you're sad. You can check this one off your To Do list now. I know, I know. Me, too. It's a disease.

I'm still learning how to build my presence on FB and Instagram. Honestly, I'm not all that competitive. All the apps and tutorials to teach you how to grow your click rate are kind of a drag. All I care about is talking with you, not how many clicks I get. If you want to talk more about...well, anything! Shout out. I'll shout back!

...well, maybe not shout...or you could maybe consider it a shout...well, I guess if you are far away...probably more of a hey there, how ya's doin'...or it could be a shout, but probably more of a...what were we talking about?...😆)

See you next month for another exciting edition of...

ALok.Life!!

Peace✌️

Alys

www.AlysLocke.com