Shorts

Well, THIS is quite an honor...

11/28/2023

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The American Booksellers Association posted their preview to "The 2023 Indie Gift Guide for Genre Lovers" list, and "Curves for Days" is on it, with some really good company. Here's hoping MANY people see it and think it sounds like a good gift for loved ones--or for themselves!

In other news, I've been doing what probably looks to outsiders like not much of anything, but that's how plotting goes for me. You can't write anything down until you have an idea of what to write, and for me that idea comes slowly, in bits, over time, often when I appear to be staring into space or driving aimlessly or sitting in a parking lot or standing in the shower.

I'm currently plotting not only book 4 (Sonya's story) in the Galway series but also a new trilogy about 3 very different sisters. That one will be a real challenge. I may have to really up my game...which would be another great thing.

I hope you're all snug and well-fed and in good company, wherever you are.

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Book review: How to Tame a Wild Rogue

11/18/2023

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Things I know I can count on from a Julie Anne Long story:
1- Humor that sneaks up on you through quirky characters in increasingly silly situations;
2- Writing that puts you right there on the pink settee, or in the scullery (or bedchamber!), or on top of the pile of crates in the dark alley on a pitch-black night with a storm bearing down on you;
3- Exquisite details that lay bare the emotions of the characters (think Mr. Darcy's involuntary hand clench in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice).

"How to Tame a Wild Rogue" delivers all of this and more. My absolute FAVORITE part of this story is the connection that forms almost immediately between two characters who could not be much more different on the surface but who share a common need for shelter from the storm. As with many of Julie Anne Long's novels, the main woman character's needs and problems are more obvious and more urgent--because of the realities of life for women in the time period in which the stories are set--than those of the main man character, whose needs we only gradually learn are every bit as deep. Daphne at first seems to be the semi-unwilling damsel in distress whom Lorcan rescues...but soon the situation shifts and she is able to provide something in return in the form of loyalty, support, and the kind, fair attention he has been missing since early childhood.

This is what Julia Anne Long's masterful stories do: They turn our ideas about who possesses strength and courage and nobility upside down. They show us relationships in which both partners need. Both partners think and feel and give. Both partners rescue.
And we lucky readers get to experience their love stories unfolding, their fraught conversations, their shared private jokes, their sexual tension, their nearly unbearable longing and extremely satisfying happy ending, right along with them.

"How to Tame a Wild Rogue" is lovely and heart-warming, touching and laugh-out-loud funny. As always, I closed the book already looking forward to the next book in the Palace of Rogues series.

5 enthusiastic stars!

[Image: "Clinch" cover of Julie Anne Long's novel "How to Tame a Wild Rogue," against a background of line drawings of astrolabes and oranges. Attribution: for Arabic astrolabe image: Sue Clark (perpetualplum) via Creative Commons, license 2.0]

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It was a dark and stormy day...

10/24/2023

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I mean WOW it was so dark a few hours ago you would have thought the sun had long set. But we need this rain and I had things to do here, so...let it rain.

A couple of updates: There's going to be a large-print edition of Curves for Days! I'm really tickled about this, as someone who has had glasses since 3rd grade (and who probably needed them well before that). My vision has NOT gotten any better over the years, and sometimes when I've really overdone the screen time, a large print book feels like a blessed relief (Something I don't have to strain to see! Yay!).

Also, it's possible that July and Joe's story--book 2 in the Galway series--is going to get a different title. And we're still working on the cover, so that release date has been pushed back to August (alas!) (At least my anticipation should be at a fever pitch by then.).

In other news, I'm going to try NaNoWriMo this year! I've considered it in past years, and half-heartedly attempted it on my own a few years ago, but this year I'm going to try to use the incentive and excitement around it to make significant progress on Sonya's story. If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), you can learn all about it here. Maybe you'll find it so exciting you'll decide to join me!

Meanwhile, I'm trying to stay aware of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. I found this site with a list of ways we can help the people there. And of course at home we can help by speaking out against hateful rhetoric of all kinds, including and especially anti-Muslim or anti-Jewish speech whenever we hear it.

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Depending on which direction you look...

10/7/2023

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...we're either a month and a half past the release of "Curves for Days" (That still feels new and exciting to me) or about six and a half months away from the release of "What She's Having"--the new title for book 2 in the Galway series.

As I've mentioned, that's July's (of July's Restaurant) second chance story with the love of her life, Joe, who disappeared from Galway when they were both sixteen. "What She's Having" opens with Joe learning something devastating that sends him back to North Carolina. I am crazy about Joe; he's his own person, of course, but loosely inspired by some of the loveliest men I've ever met.

I understand Sourcebooks is cooking up a wonderful cover for "What She's Having" and I'm getting really excited about seeing it. Honestly, I'm more excited about that than I was the first time around. Usually book covers don't excite me. But when I saw what a talented real-life human artist (thank you, thank you, Andressa Meissner!) could do to bring Rose to life for the cover of "Curves for Days," I was blown away. Now the idea of a cover reveal is something I'm truly looking forward to (second only to my excitement about getting to see it myself!).

On the home front, I've just bought an exercise bike (see photo) and will be attempting to put that together today. These long icy Minnesota winters make me feel breakable, and I need a way to get some exercise. I've freed her from the box, but so far she just lies there. Looking at me. Wish me luck with both assembly and regular use of that beast, please. I suppose I should name her...

On the writing front, I turned in book 3 of the Galway series (Andi's story--you'll meet her in "What She's Having"). Andi is July's best friend and is a big, gorgeous, bombshell of a woman who generally--but not always--downplays her beauty. She runs the women's shelter July sends most of the restaurant leftovers to. It's a stressful job, and Andi's looking to blow off some steam the night she runs into Kevin, Galway High's new math teacher. Expect major chemistry!

ANNNNNND, in news-I'm-really-excited-about, just yesterday I started writing what I hope will be book 4 in the series. It's Sonya's story. Sonya is the very sweet, friendly waitress who is a secondary character in all the other books. More to come on that one.

I hope you are all well and that you are easing into fall gently, in all your favorite (cozy? spooky? adventurous?) ways, whatever that means for you! Take care, and thanks for reading. <3

[image below shows a recumbent exercise bike, freshly out of cardboard shipping carton, lying on wooden floor]

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Curves for Days officially hit the market just over 3 weeks ago. The week or two on either side of that were hectic and exciting and full of social contacts and support and new experiences.
Since my last post I've done 2 virtual events: a panel called Dangerous Curves Ahead: Celebrating Plus-Sized Protagonists, which was a Bookstore Romance Day event sponsored by Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN and beautifully moderated by Katie Garaby (thanks, Parnassus and Katie, for this fun experience, and to my fellow authors for writing such good stories and being so interesting to talk with!), and the other a really fun one-on-one interview by Annie of Magers & Quinn Booksellers in downtown Minneapolis (thanks, Annie, Matthew, and Magers & Quinn for an all-around great experience!).
I've also signed books informally for Magers & Quinn and also for Next Chapter Books in St. Paul, with another quick signing planned for tomorrow at a pop-up location for Tropes & Trifles, which will be the Twin Cities' first all-romance bookshop!
Now, anyone who knows me knows I'm a deep introvert. I'm quite good one-on-one, but groups exhaust me, and even a series of individual interactions can knock me on my butt for a couple of days. So after that flurry of social activity around the book release date, I was wiped out. I kind of drew into my shell, concentrating on editing and hermiting.
I had plenty of work to do, because of a foolish mistake I'd made. The manuscript for Book 3 in the Galway series was due on September 1, and I was determined to present it a day or two before deadline. I'd worked diligently on it, gotten feedback on it from a few beta readers, revised it according to their excellent suggestions, and presented it proudly to my editor and agent with a descriptive blurb (like those 2-4 paragraphs on the book jacket that tell you what to expect from the book) a few days early.
The thing is, while I'm good at writing stories themselves, I STINK at writing blurbs, and my blurb was so bad it was like shooting myself in the foot, in terms of turning my agent and editor off of the (quite good) story before they'd even read it. So since then, I've been reworking the blurb to more accurately reflect the story, and reworking the story so that when they do read it they'll have no trouble seeing that it does in fact belong in the Galway series.
I've always been good with words. It's humbling and distressing to find out just how bad I am with blurb-writing (Blurbs are words too, right???). Thank heavens for my friend/critique partner Mary, who is a genius with promo stuff. She's a lovely person, if a bit of a freak in her conviction that this stuff is FUN. I'd rather poke myself with sharp sticks.
Onward and upward...

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[Image: cartoon drawing of the top part of a round, off-white face, with only panicked brown eyes showing]

Today is my last official day as an unpublished romance author. I've just now realized that.

I'm feeling all the expected feelings, plus some unexpected ones, plus some things I haven't quite identified yet. I'm excited, nervous, giddy, slightly nauseous, hopeful, anxious, stressed, distracted, happy, proud... You name it.

Yesterday was good. I very much enjoyed participating in the Bookstore Romance Day virtual panel celebrating plus-size protagonists; it was lovely to meet fellow authors Danielle Jackson, Jenny L. Howe, Amanda Cinelli and April Asher to talk about the responsibilities and challenges of writing love stories for characters who were for many years erased from romance. Katie Garaby of Parnassus Books was a wonderful host and asked great questions. That panel was recorded and will, I believe, be posted on YouTube at some point, if you missed it and would still like to catch the discussion.

TOMORROW (Tues. Aug. 22, 2023), however, there will be no blending-into-a-panel for me! I'll be flying mostly solo, with the help of Annie from Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis.
I hope if you can you will join us for this virtual event tomorrow night; I'll do a short reading from "Curves for Days" and then chat with Annie of M&Q about writing the book and then there will be an audience Q&A.
The event is free and will last approximately one hour. It starts at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, etc. Please join me/us! Register here for access.

I'll try not to be QUITE as wild-eyed as I am today, but honestly? No promises.

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Welp, one more week...

8/15/2023

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Here we are, one week out from the release of my debut, "Curves for Days."
I am feeling the most peculiar combination of feelings... hope, angst, enjoyment, excitement, mischief, accomplishment, worry, imposter syndrome, pride, and a desire to retreat to a wilderness cave.
But I've been doing some fun stuff, such as an author interview with Emily Downey of the Baking Up Good Reads blog. She asked really interesting, thoughtful questions and it was a joy to respond to them. You can see the interview and a brief review of the book here. She's planning to make a recommendation for a yummy baked good to pair with "Curves for Days," so I'm looking forward to seeing what she suggests!
I've just looked over Book 2 (July's story) in what will be its book format, which is exciting. Also exciting is that we're coming up with a great title and cover for that one and I'm really tickled with what I'm pretty sure we've chosen! But I'll have to share that later.
I'm on a deadline to submit Book 3 at the end of this month, so that's what my hands are full with this week.
Finally, I'm pulling myself back up on the wagon after falling off into review spaces. I know better, it makes me miserable, and I don't know why it's such a struggle to stay away! I'm just going to have to do a DuoLingo lesson or play another game of Sudoku or something when I find myself wanting to check one of the review sites. Or take a walk. Yeah, I should take a walk.
I hope you're well and up to lots of fun stuff yourself. Take care. <3

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Another really exciting thing!--Rakuten kobo...

8/7/2023

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...named "Curves for Days" on its Best Books of the Month list!
You can see the full list here
or see their buy link here.

Thank you so much, kobo! I'm thrilled and honored. <3

[Image below: Against a shade-of-purple prism background, the cover of "Curves for Days" by Laura Moher shows a youngish fat white woman with curly dark hair, standing in a garden and looking back over her shoulder at the viewer. The caption reads "One of Kobo's Best of the Month," followed by the Rakuten kobo logo.]

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Thanks, Apple Books!!!

8/4/2023

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Well, here was a source of much squealing in MY house today!
Apple Books chose "Curves for Days" as one of "3 Debuts we Love" for August! This is a great honor. Thank you, Apple Books!

[Image: 3 book covers ("I Will Greet the Sun Again" by Khashayar J Khabushani, "Curves for Days" by Laura Moher, and "Small Town Sins" by Ken Jaworowski) against a green background, with the heading "3 Debuts We Love"]

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Another starred review! Thank you, Booklist!

8/2/2023

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As you might have seen from the graphic on the Home page, another honor came in this week: a starred review from Booklist!
I can't describe how it feels to work so hard on this story--to write it and rethink it and rewrite it again and again--and get helpful input from first readers and my wonderful agent Sara Megibow and my equally wonderful editor Deb Werksman and her Sourcebooks team and rewrite it another couple of times until finally it makes it into the hands of outside readers, and then have at least some of them appreciate it enough to write such lovely things.
My first book baby has flown into some loving hands!
Here's a snippet from the review (or you can read the full review here):
"It is lovely to see two people who have issues with body size discover that the other’s perceptions can be different than expected while they try to navigate a relationship they never thought could happen. Readers of this heartfelt debut will hope for more from Moher."

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Author

Laura Moher, navigating this new world of writing and publishing her stories.

Image description: Closeup of an old piece of wood or metal with a heart-shaped cutout in the center. The surface is painted pale blue, but the paint is peeling to reveal bits of the original brown of the surface beneath. The cutout reveals a blank white surface below.

Photo credit: "A Hole Heart" by cogdogblog is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

A place for my non-novel stories and thoughts

Well, THIS is quite an honor...

Book review: How to Tame a Wild Rogue

It was a dark and stormy day...

Depending on which direction you look...

A little over 3 weeks...

Tomorrow...!

Welp, one more week...

Another really exciting thing!--Rakuten kobo...

Thanks, Apple Books!!!

Another starred review! Thank you, Booklist!

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