Every year since I started publishing, not even sure how many years that has been now, I do a post where I talk about what I did the past year, and what I learned, with a bit of what everyone can expect from me next year. 

So, how did 2017 look for me? 

Busy. 

It looked busy as hell. 

On the business side of things (read: writing), I released the DeLuca Duet, and showed everybody that perhaps what we all thought happened to Dino DeLuca in The Chicago War was not actually what happened to our boy. 

And then Inflict came out -- my slightly crazy, very abused, incredibly broken Irishman, Connor. I believe that book was also my first full length standalone since I began publishing. It also flew far left in terms of the dark factor in my writing. I'm still quite proud of that book, and I love Connor to the ends of the earth and back. 

For everybody who waited so patiently for the French-Italian Canadian, Gian Guzzi, from the Guzzi Duet, he was published this year as well. And he was far more charming, dangerous, and sexy that I expected him to be, but I'm not complaining. 

Who would? 

I also released companions -- Behind the Bloodlines, for Donati Bloodlines Trilogy, and A Very Marcello Christmas for the Filthy Marcellos. I enjoy doing these short companion novellas for the fans because it lets me take a trip back to old favorites, even if it's only for a short time. 

Erin and I also finished the Gun Moll Trilogy with the release of Madame Moll​. 

And then comes Legacy. 

The first Legacy couple published this year with the Cross + Catherine series. So many people have been asking for these books, and really, I was just waiting to write them, too. For three or four years now, they have been pounding at the back of my mind. 

But with good, comes bad. 

Unfortunately, with the beginning of the Legacy couples, it means the ending of this world that I started in like, 2014, or something. Once the Legacy couples are finished, and then the second generation Guzzi brothers, this world is over. It is done. There will not be companions for it, or anything else. 

Why? 

Because everything comes to an end. 

And I have a new world. 

Filled with Gunrunners, Cartels, Italians, Irish, Russians, Madames, Brokers, Thiefs, and so much more. The new world will be far bigger, and far bloodier that the current world. So is my mind, I suppose. And so, I would really like to get to them, and begin those books, and build that new world. 

Don't worry, though, I will still be writing this world until the end of 2019, likely. 

It is a ways away yet. 

So, what did I learn this year? 

My readers are still great. You all are still insatiable. I can't produce books as fast as you would read them, and that's great. I love you all. 

Change is good--and I need to change things up more for me than for anyone else. I learned that I write best when I write what I want, how I want, and without concern or care for how it might be received. A lot more contemporary elements were introduced to my books this year -- and some were very erotic focused -- and I did that because I wanted to, and because that's how I felt like doing them. 

Those books are some of my favorites. 

I also learned that my circle of people still needs to remain small because every time I open it up, someone steps in to remind me why I kept it closed in the first place. I don't like the clique-ness of this writing world, or how I see readers being manipulated with drama-marketing, or kept loyal by authors with shady techniques, and other stuff that makes me look at both parties with a side-eye. 

I don't need to go back to high school, and I'm not concerned about being in the popular crowd. I don't play favorites, and I'm just so beyond needing that garbage in my life. 

Peace on that. 

That's all I have to say for that nonsense. 

On the personal side of things, away from writing ... 

I had my fourth--and last--child in July. Devon Dustin made his way a little earlier than we expected, but all is well. He's almost six months now, and so loved. I took a step back from being as active as I was in certain places because my writing and my family come first. I will always write books, but I may not always be as vocal on social media. 

My life doesn't revolve around Facebook, Twitter, or wherever else. 

^^^ Something else I learned this year. 

So .... 

What's coming for 2018? 

A rough schedule is below: 

January - Tom + Cam, Effortless
March - John + Siena, Loyalty
April - John + Siena, Disgrace
June - Joe + Liliana, Captivated
August - Dishonored (Secret Project)
October - Andino + Haven, Duty
November - Andino + Haven, Vow
December - Christmas In Chicago (A The Chicago War Novella)

Now, there will be some collections released this coming year, and a companion for Cross + Catherine that will tell everyone everything they want to know about the future of the kids, as well as Zeke and Katya. 

I suspect Erin and I will also have a project release sometime next year. 

Lots to look forward to, loves. I cannot wait to share it with you all. 

Hugs, loves. 

Hey, loves! 

It's Christmas Eve, and so, you know what that means if you have been waiting for it. 

Yes, the Marcello Christmas Novella is live. 

A Very Marcello Christmas will be the last novel I write for the first generation Marcellos. I enjoyed taking them through one last trip, separately and as a family. 

I do hope you enjoy it, too. 

For all my Kindle Unlimited lovers, AVMC is in Kindle Unlimited. 

Grab your copy from one of the following: 

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07835PCXB
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07835PCXB
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07835PCXB
AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07835PCXB
*and it is live on all other Amazon stores as well!

You can also add it on Goodreads here --> http://bit.ly/2BTKhKi

​For those who celebrate something this time of year, Happy Holidays. 

Eat good food. Be with good people. 

Hugs, loves. 

Hey, loves! 

*waves* 

I unfortunately had to wait a couple of extra days before getting Unruly into Kindle Unlimited for all those readers waiting. 

Patiently, I might add. 

As usual, B & N likes to drag its backside when it comes to taking a book down. It gets even worse once it's around the holidays as they run on a skeletal staff, essentially. 

BUT ... 

Unruly is down from all other vendors, and is now in KU! 

So, for everyone waiting on that, it is here. 

Grab your copy at one of the following: 

Amazon US | Amazon UK |  Amazon CA | Amazon AUS

Hugs, loves.

And have a very Merry Christmas. 

If you happened to miss my post earlier in the week elsewhere, Effortless now has a cover, blurb, and official release date! 

Effortless is the next Legacy novel. It will release on January 15th, 2018. The beautiful cover was designed by Jay Aheer from Simply Defined Art. 

So, what is it/who is it? 

Effortless is a standalone contemporary erotic romance featuring Tommaso Rossi, and Camilla Donati. So, Tommaso was born in The Chicago War series, and Camilla was born in the Donati Bloodlines Trilogy. HOWEVER, standalone--as always. You need not read their parents, where they came from, or otherwise to enjoy. 

I make sure of that each time. 

Effortless is a little different in the way there is no suspense thread in the plot. It's very couple/romance/life focused. Tom is, of course, knee-deep into the life and so, you get to see all of the mafia going on around him and his work. There's just no suspense thread. 

I loved writing this couple--they're fun, they're filthy together, and you know, sometimes they make falling in love harder than it needs to be. 

That's always interesting. 

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 

For those wonder what are Legacy novels? 
Find that info HERE. 

And ... here's the blurb to Effortless: A Legacy Novel: 


​Camilla Donati doesn’t do relationships—it’s just not her thing. She wants a fun time, not a long time. She might be exactly what Tommaso Rossi needs to make his vacation from the responsibilities as a Capo, a break worth taking. 

He didn’t expect to find a woman like her with a mind full of filth. 

She didn’t expect a man who would shatter all of her rules with only a grin. 

Chicago keeps calling Tommaso home, and further out of reach from the one thing he wants more than ever. Camilla’s restless heart keeps getting in the way even when it’s stuck between what is, and what could be. 

This should have been easy. 

It didn’t have to be messy. 

Falling in love is effortless. 

It’s people who make it hard. 

Effortless: A Legacy Novel is a standalone contemporary erotic romance.

***

You can also add Effortless to your Goodreads TBR HERE, if you want to. 

Hugs, loves. 

Hey, loves! 

So, if you didn't already know it, today is Unruly's release day. The final book for Cross + Catherine is out in the world, and ready for you to enjoy. 

Or, I hope you'll enjoy it. 

*winks* 

A lot of people will remember back when I was writing Always and Revere, I talked a lot about the books on Twitter. Like every single day, I was sharing snippets and giving hints as to the main guts and glory of the relationship, love, and life that was Cross Donati and Catherine Marcello. 

And then I finished those. I left Revere at a very happy point in their lives. A solid happily ever after for the readers because it gave them a choice--they could stop reading with Revere. They could be totally, entirely satisfied with the ending. Because even after that final chapter, I gave a whole teaser that alluded to the fact Unruly would happen years down the road, well into their marriage. 

Heck, even if the blurb for Unruly says, "married five years ..." 

So, I really wanted to give the readers an opportunity to stop reading at Revere, if they felt satisfied with the couple's tale. All of those plot lines were tied up there, and nothing was technically left hanging. I put out requests for outtakes that readers would want to see from those two books, and more. 

However, for me, and a few of the readers of mine (or a lot) that are like me, I wasn't finished with the couple because I get attached, and guess what? I have been waiting to write about Cross and Catherine for THREE YEARS. Yeah.

I had more to tell because there was so much more I wanted to read about them. More of their life, and this incredible love that they had to work to make work even five years later ... with a little bit extra love in tow. 

I never said Unruly was necessary to read after Revere, or in the series as a whole, or needed to be read at all for that matter.

I really just wrote it for me, and those like me, who wanted more of the love that was Cross and Catherine. 

And if you're one of those readers, I genuinely hope Unruly is everything you wished for and more. 

And if you're one who was satisfied with Revere, that's fine, too. 

Hugs, love. 

Grab your copy of Unruly at one of the following: 

Amazon US | Amazon UK |  Amazon CA | Amazon AUS 
iTunes | Kobo | Barnes & Noble