A.C. Cockerill
First Star, Evening Star Series Book 3
December 14, 2021
Self-Published
221 pages
Fourth Published Novel (Also published 4 short stories and 1 novella.)
FIRST STAR is a near-future romance and cozy mystery blend set on a ranch northwest of Dallas, Texas.
Intern Josey Morningstar teams up again with her sisters, Paige and Blair, and Nana to solve a new mystery at the Evening Star Ranch B&B. Police detective Ross Dunvegan joins the amateur detective team to solve the mystery of Ed Kingston's key. Can Josey solve this mystery, decide between becoming a police officer or a private investigator, and find love along the way?
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Rebecca Stevenson
Lonewild Winter
December 28, 2021
Self-published
212 pages
3rd in Wentworth Cove series
Watercolorist Reagan Hart and her twelve-year-old daughter Meredith have lived in New York City all their lives, but when Reagan hears that her ex-husband will be released from prison early, they change their last name, relocate to a small coastal town in Maine, and lease a house from a feisty octogenarian.
Brett Mason takes care of his aunt's estate, including Lonewild, now that she's moved to an assisted living facility, but he has trust issues of his own... and a tendency to butt in where he's not wanted.
Jared Loper will stop at nothing to find his wife and daughter. Even if it means violating parole and the possibility of being sent back to prison.
The lives of these five people are about to intersect on the scenic streets and shores of Wentworth Cove.
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Carolyn Rae
Romancing the Doctor
January 22, 2022
(received rights back, republished with new cover)
Despite being newly divorced, Heather McKinley is thrilled to discover she is finally pregnant. While he’d rather be pursuing Heather, brilliant CDC researcher, Daniel Whistler, is called back to investigate a mutated virus more deadly than the original Rift Valley Fever, which also causes sterility. Devastated by her miscarriage, Heather joins him in the search for the perpetrator who’s dispersing the virus in U.S. cities and even on a Caribbean cruise ship. Their love for each other deepens, but secrets each hold threaten to pull them apart.
Amanda Arista will be our guest speaker at the February 26 DARA meeting, teaching us about Down and Dirty Character Development.
Why spend months developing a character only to find that its the wrong character for the story you want to tell? Using this boiled-down amalgamation of three top screenwriting teachers, Amanda Arista will show you how to create a character that will leap off the page with their own backstory, voice, and deep connection to the story you want to tell.
Our February meeting will be held on Zoom. Social time starts at 9 am, followed by a brief business meeting at 9:30. Amanda will begin about 10 am. (Click here or on the Zoom image below to go to the meeting link.)
Invite your fellow authors to join us! Please contact info@dallasarearomanceauthors.com for an official invite with Zoom link (needed only so we can keep track of who attends). Guests are welcome to attend one meeting for free, and additional meetings without joining will be $5 each. Free meetings are one of the many benefits of DARA membership!
About Amanda Arista
Amanda was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. Good thing she loves to travel.
During the summer after second grade, she read every book in the young adult section of the library, much to the surprise of the local librarian. So she started making up her own stories and hasn’t stopped.
She has a husband who fights crime, one dog who thinks he’s a real boy, and another who might be a fruit bat in disguise. She recently added a tiny human to the mix who is following in her mother’s footsteps of storytelling.
Along with her BA in English & Psychology and her MA in Education, Amanda is a graduate of the SMU Creative Writing Program and now teaches other aspiring authors. She has delivered lectures at several writer conferences and loves discussing craft, character, and structure. Her current favorite: Stirring up Trouble with Romantic Subplots.
She is represented by Kimberly Brower, of Brower Literary & Management.
Visit Amanda on her website: Amanda Arista.