I’d never planned to write a series because I was always worried that I’d never be able to maintain one, but with so many people writing standalone series’, I decided to give it a go.
Admittedly, I copped out a little with The Exchange Series, because they’re all shorts (around 10k each roughly), but I’ve enjoyed it.
Dear Diary and Reluctance are already available, while book three – Repentence – is awaiting formatting and as soon as it’s ready will be released. The fourth – Dear John – is currently with pre readers. This will be the final book in the series, and in the new year, I will be working on combining them into an omnibus paperback.
I have to admit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the reception these books have received and a lot of the comments concern the way they’ve been written (diary and journal entries). I’m always pushing myself to be a little bit different where I can, and this format just worked. I will say now though, Repentence and Dear John are not the same format, but they are both different from a straight narrative.
Hopefully, both will be released soon, and I hope you love them as much as I’ve loved writing them.
Here are a couple of short teasers from both:
Repentence:
When his mom first told him a British chick was coming to stay with them, Tyler had been like a shark tasting fresh blood. He was going to charm her into his bed, then let her head back home, he hadn’t forseen her coming back thanks to his brother knocking her up. What choice did any of them have but to have her in the house, this time permanently?
“Hey, where d’you go just then?” Anna’s question brought his attention back to the present. Once again he could feel the warm sand on his bare feet and her small form in his arms. He smiled down at her.
“Sorry, I was thinking about home.” He bent to capture her lips with his own. The kiss making his heart rate pick up as every other kiss they’d shared had done. When he boarded the plane back in Arizona, he’d never expected much to happen on his vacation. He’d planned on lounging on the beach during the day, and drinking in bars in the evenings, but as he was checking into his hotel, he’d spotted Anna struggling with her bags and from the moment he’d helped her into the elevator, his plans had changed.
Plans that had never included falling in love with someone in a two week period.
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Dear John:
“As many of you know, I spent a lot of time over in the UK. During my time there, I made many contacts with teachers in schools and one such contact has agreed to take part in this project with us. Inside these envelopes, you will find a name and address of your counterpart at a high school in Brighton, a town on the south coast of England. You will, over the entire semester, exchange letters with them and learn about them, their family, and the culture they associate themselves with in the UK. At the end of the semester, you will present your letters— so keep copies of those you mail out via myself and the school, after all, we don’t expect you to pay for postage to the UK.”
I stared at him, unsure what the point of this assignment was. We’d all learnt how to write letters years ago.
“In this technological age, handwritten letters are a rarity and this saddens me, so I aim to bring them back; even if only for one semester. Maybe some of you will end up with a pen pal for life and continue to correspond with them after this project is over. I predict that many of you will drop your correspondent like a hot potato once the semester is over, but as long as you learn something from them, that is your prerogative. You may open your envelopes.”
The sound of tearing paper filled the air. I slid the single sheet out. The only thing printed on it was:
John Davids c/o 78-92 Falmer Academy Falmer Road Brighton East Sussex BN2 3FF
Groaning to myself at not getting a female pen pal, I tucked the paper into my bag and waited for Mr. Larsson to continue the lesson.
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Hopefully, these will leave you wanting more! As soon as I have dates of release (or they’re live if I’m feeling sneaky), you’ll be the first to know. Make sure you’re following my Facebook Page to keep up to date with everything. That’s usually the first place I post anything.
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