The long awaited (at least by me) release of Grace Under Pressure is almost here. This one means a lot because completing it didn’t come without a few major life moment. As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband–The Dude–had a health scare this past spring. Then, a few days after I shared the cover design of Grace Under Pressure with you all, my mom passed away. Needless to say, my world was rocked.
Strangely enough though, while plans were being made regarding my mom’s funeral, I found an untapped reservoir of creativity. Grace and Mac, and all the other characters in the novel were a comfort to me. It was as if they took me by the hand and whispered in my ear, “You’ve got this. Make her proud. Finish it.” And I did!
Cute story. When I released my first novel, Ghost of a Chance, I sent a copy to my mom. While I was worried about the spicy content, I remembered some of the titles she read when I was growing up. Lots of Jackie Collins and stuff like that so it’s not like she was a prude. Still, the fact that her youngest daughter was writing novels with S-E-X in them, suffice to say I was…a wee bit concerned. The day we chatted on the phone after she finished the novel, she went on and on about how much she loved it. Then there was a pause. She said, “So, how did you know about all that stuff?” Of course, I assumed she meant all the Irish history and location details, and I started to talk about my travels as well as my research. She cut me off as only a mom can. “No, no, not that stuff.” She giggled. “All that sex stuff.” It was then I had to remind her I was a grown woman who had not only been around the block a couple of times but also had a vivid imagination.
I’m excited for you to read Grace Under Pressure. The manuscript is heading to my editor this week and I expect it to go live by the second or third week in September. You’ll hear release details here first. This story, and these characters, hold a special place in my heart and will be dedicated to my mom–spicy parts and all! I think she’d like that.
xoxoxo – Nikki
Nikki Long Writes 