Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I’ve found, through following agents on Twitter, that I am not reading as much as I wish I was. I spend so much time writing, promoting writing, and connecting with writing people, I forget that this industry is really about reading, and about readers.

For me, this is the year of the reader. (It’s also the year of fancy cheese, but I’ll get to that in another post�)

Our Somewhere, TX authors (we’re called Chick Tales) have started a book club, and this month, Krystal Shannan picked GOTCHA! by Christie Craig as the book of the month. Next month, Jodi Vaughn picked THEN CAME YOU by Jill Shalvis.

Plus, I’m always reading non-fiction books on theory, on marketing and publicity, on social media, on writing. But I’m trying to focus on fiction this year.

What about you? What are you reading?

Lachlan’s Revenge releases today! Below, you can findÌýall the buy-links for your pleasure (including the print version!). Early reviews are stellar and I can’t wait for everyone to read this book, conclusion to the first volume of the Highland Renegades series.

“I liked it so much I read the whole book through. Grab this book.â€� Ìý-Margaret S.

“I really enjoyed this series, it was action packed, filled with romance and adventure.â€�Ìý-Nicole L.

Also! To celebrate the release, we have put all of the Highland Renegade books on sale! Outcast Highlander (Book 1) is completely free� The Runaway Highlander and The Pirate Highlander are both 99 cents. This sale is for a LIMITED time only, so get your copies today! That’s four books for the price of one.

Enjoy!

Amazon:

iBooks:

Page Foundry:

Scribd:

Kobo:

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

by Chris Syme, Publicist for R.L. Syme

We are excited to announce that The Outcast Highlander was chosen by EverAfter Romance as one of its Top FREE Alpha Male Titles.

Ìý

EverAfter Romance, the free eBookstore app that offers readers access to over 100,000 romance titles on smartphones and tablets, today announced its list of the most downloaded free Alpha Male romance novels.

This list, culled from the more than 10,000 free titles available on the eBookstore app, marks the first time EverAfter has displayed the most popular free downloads as a featured collection.

“These are the titles that have generated a lot of heat with readers. Romance fans have been searching for and downloading these books,� said EverAfter General Manager Seth Kaufman. “Now, with all the Alpha Male madness around Fifty Shades of Grey, EverAfter has made it easier to find the most popular free eBooks. It’s a Valentine’s Day gift for the legion Alpha lovers out there.�

The list of popular romances features a variety of macho, swaggering, hunky men who like to be in control, from Broccin Sinclair—the Scottish hero of R.L. Syme’s The Outcast Highlander—to cowboy Blake Coleman in Vivian Arend’s Rocky Mountain Heat, and from battle-scarred Luke Trenton—Viscount Merritt in Tessa Dare’s How to Catch a Wild Viscount—to the domineering ex-military man at the center of Owned by the Navy Seal by Leslie North.

To explore these free titles and over 100,000 titles available on EverAfter, download the app for in the Apple app store at and at Google Play atÌý

The Top FREE Alpha Male titles include:

Everything You Love
Evelyn Lyes


The Outcast Highlander (The Highland Renegades, #1)
R.L. Syme


Owned by the Navy Seal
Leslie North


Rocky Mountain Heat
Arend, Vivian


How to Catch a Wild Viscount
Tessa Dare


Taken: The Alpha’s Captive BBW/Werewolf Romance #1
V. M. Black


The Seduction of Sophie Seacrest (An Unlikely Husband, #1)
Mary Campisi


The Charmer
CJ Archer


Billionaire Assignment, Book One: Unexpected Commonality
D.C. Chagnon


Fifty Days
Taylor Shade

The women who write about Somewhere, TX� we’re all part of Chick Tales. Part of the reason we called ourselves Chick Tales, of course, is because we write stories about women falling in love. But part of it is because we love to read stories about women falling in love.

So we decided to start a book club. We won’t be reading the Somewhere, TX books� we’ll be reading other tales. It’s a way for us to relax with each other and read some good fiction and have some fun. So if you’re interested, join us.

Our Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group, hosted by the Somewhere, TX librarian, Fanny May, can be found here. I hope you’ll come, pull up a chair, and open a book with us!

Photo by Karin Hildebrand Lau.

If you’re having a party for the National Championships this year, or the Pro Bowl or Super Bowl, this party dip not only feeds a crowd, but does it well. It’s my family’s favorite. Easy, cheesy, and delicious. I hope you enjoy!

2 T. oil

1 white onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 T. chopped jalapeno chiles

1 10-oz pack frozen spinach, drained

2 c. grated Pepper Jack Cheese

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. heavy cream

1 large can black olives, drained/sliced

1 T. red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in heavy skillet over med. heat. Add onion and sauté about four minutes. Add tomatoes and chiles, and cook for two minutes. Transfer to large bowl (or to crockpot, if you’re using one) and stir in spinach, cheese, half & half, olives, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, spoon into shallow, ovenproof baking dish.

Bake at 350 until top is brown. Can be prepared in crock pot and served hot for guests. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips. I like to make my own out of softshell tortillas. Cut up in dip-able shapes, spray with oil, bake in hot oven until crisp. These tend to be a bit thicker and can be better for dipping.

It’s your chance to get a signed copy of Lachlan’s Revenge! Sign up now!

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;
font-style: normal; background: white; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important;
text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;
border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:"Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
background-image:url(/author/show/6878258.R_L_Syme//images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596;
outline: 0; white-space: nowrap;
}
.goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(/author/show/6878258.R_L_Syme//images/layo...
color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;
}


Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Book Giveaway







Lachlan’s Revenge



by R.L. Syme

Giveaway ends February 22, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.

Enter to win

Ìý

We’re all the way up to Chapter Eleven on the Wattpad story. Almost done! If you want to read for the first time, or if you’re brand new to Somewhere, TX, here’s the link to our FREE Wattpad novel, set in Somewhere, TX.

Ever heard of crowdsourcing? The phenom where lots of people get together to pay for something to happen that would otherwise have taken one big investor? Well, I participated in a crowdsourcing initiative to put out a movie last year–the Veronica Mars movie, in fact–and it was SO worth it because I adore that show. But of course, I didn’t get to write the movie. I just got to pay for it and then watch it.

So I thought� why not “crowdsource� something you actually do get to write? Wouldn’t that be cool? So I decided to crowdsource a novel in 2015!

**This is not a Kickstarter campaign. You will never be asked for money to participate in this project. The “source� in “crowdsource� is your opinion and your creativity. This is a “crowd novel� not something funded by my readers. I am completely fine with crowdsourcing for books (and will support authors� Kickstarter campaigns whose books I read because I think people need to make a living), but this book is not being crowd-funded. We’re calling it crowd-writing, the #CrowdNovelProject.

I have written part of a historical mystery novel with romantic elements. It takes place in 1912 in a copper mining town in the west. But I want you to help me write it.

There are going to be many ways you can help write the book. The first thing you’ll want to do is join my newsletter mailing list. You can do that from the , or by clicking on the CrowdNovel Project graphic on the top left of this blog page (if you’re already on my blog).

Every two weeks, we’ll put out a new set of chapters from the book, along with some way for you to participate in the CrowdNovel Project. And just to get you started, here’s a snippet from the beginning of the book:

BUTTE, MONTANA � MARCH, 1912

Cadence Quinn was perfectly prepared to admit that young ladies should not wear their very best Italian silk dresses when they planned to shimmy up and down trees in the dead of night. Also, that her most expensive Italian leather gold-tipped Pietro Yatorny hand-stiched pumps were perhaps not the wisest choice for the mucky side streets and yawning back alleys of a copper mining town. Even one as modern as Butte, with its downtown electric street lamps.

Still, if said young lady expected to be properly attired when she arrived at the posh-and-completely-adult Philosophical Society meeting, she had to make some allowances. Of course, if her father had allowed her to simply take the car, the rips to the hem of her brand new dress and the scratches and stains on her out-of-the-box kitten heels would not have been necessary. Papa could be such a bore when it came to allowing her out of the house in the evening.

Come on and play along� THE CROWDNOVEL PROJECT 2015!

Everyone seems to be taking stock. It’s that time of year, right? The end of the old year, beginning of a new. Time for reflection and making forward motion. Goal-setting. Lists.

One of myÌýconsistent goals for a long time has been to spend down time actually being down. As a writer and self-employed person, I am often faced with the temptation to work during my down time. But awhile ago, I decided that I needed to work when I work and play when I play, and not mix the two.

I decided a long time ago that I was going to try to keep myself busy while watching television. I have a couple of hobbies–knitting/crocheting and scrapbooking–that can easily be done while TV watching is happening. So instead of taking my computer with me to sit in front of the TV and unwind, I take my crocheting or knitting or my scrapbook.

I also have a particular affinity for music. I’ve been playing the piano and singing since I was a very small child. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting down to play. I’ve also been trying to play as many days as I can, and to learn new music every so often. It’s extremely rewarding.

It has helped me, recently, to unwind from some tense work situations. And from some exciting work highs. I’m so glad I have it. I highly recommend, if you don’t already, to make sure you get down time. And use it well.