Pre-Order Alert: Code Block (Women of Caprock #2)
(Not my regular newsletter.)
Hey, y'all! I know you just heard from me last month, but I have exciting news and am reaching out again.
Book Announcement
Code Block, book two of my Women of Caprock series, is now available for pre-order. And release day (August 15, 2025) is right around the corner! For a limited time, the ebook will be available on all major platforms (Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo).
When I started the series with Left Turn, I planned to write about women working in male-dominated industries and pull from my 25+ year career in the fueling and oilfield services industries. I figured I had tons of stories to share. And since I love romance stories, I thought I'd throw in a romance for our heroine.
What I didn't count on was writing stories that crossed genres. They're not really a pure romance because I write about my characters' career struggles. And they aren't exactly women's fiction because the romance is a heavy influence. And of course, this mashup makes it difficult to find your target market.
Who is my target market? I suppose people like me. Someone who's worked in the corporate world, fought to find their seat at the table (or watched others do so), and likes to read stories with guaranteed happy endings and positive outcomes. Or maybe just anyone who likes to see someone work hard and succeed, despite their fears, misgivings, or flat-out mistreatment from their colleagues. Honestly, I'm still figuring out who my audience is, but I'm guessing anyone who's held a job and dealt with different personalities can enjoy the ride.
The setting for the Women of Caprock series is an imaginary international company in the oilfield services field. It's a blend of different companies I've worked with. Most of the work experiences mentioned in the book are based on real-life incidents I either experienced or witnessed. At least for the women. I use my imagination for the men because I'm guessing their journeys differed vastly from my experience moving up the corporate ladder.
Anyway, if the premise appeals to you as a reader, check out my books and let me know what you think. Here are the links for Code Block and Left Turn.
And while I don't have a web page for it yet, book three (Grace's story) is in the works. She's a calm, steady presence in the first two books, but there's a lot of turmoil happening underneath that cool, professional exterior she presents to the world.
Writing Journey
If you're here for the writing journey, this bit is for you.
My first book was released on August 15, 2022. Yes, three years ago. (I can hardly believe it's been that long.) I've been working on book two ever since, but hit some stumbling blocks along the way.
I got unstuck after hiring a book coach (the wonderful Anne Morgan) who got me excited about the story again. And it helped that my close author friends loved the premise when I spoke about it. Imposter syndrome can be rough, telling you your book is silly. Thank goodness for the author community, who consistently told me otherwise.
After a few editing snafus, everything came together. It seemed like fate that August 15th looked like a good release date for book two. (I'm such a numbers geek that I couldn't contain my delight at releasing the next book on an anniversary of the first.)
Check out past newsletters here for the highlights on the journey or just read my blog here for all the details, plus technical bits I picked up along the way.
Author Spotlight
Since we're all readers or writers (or both), I thought I'd share this freebie. A fellow Houston author, Jami Albright, currently has one of her rom-coms on sale through July 30th. (That's in two days, y'all.) Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TT87VXB
If you haven't read her before, she's hilarious. She writes some laugh-out-loud, pee-your-pants moments that are rooted in Texas small-town environments.
Thanks
Hey, thanks for being a part of my clan. Feel free to reach out and get in touch.
Happy Reading!
Lancy