Just kidding. Keep your pants on unless that’s how you celebrate—you do you. Because, YES, it’s finally here! One Thing Better is available for preorder at all major online booksellers.
So, what does this mean besides pants-optional celebrating? Well…
Ordering in advance ensures the preorder price ($4.99), and it will magically be delivered to your electronic library the day it comes out—October 24, 2023. It’ll be like a forgotten gift to yourself by then—a pleasant surprise on a cool fall day. Ah, a new book to read with my pumpkin spice latte! A bonus perk—your preorder will generate new book energy, bolstering its rank before it “hits the shelves.” It’s a lovely and appreciated way to spread more book love.
Besides, five bucks is a bargain for a brand-new book that provides hours of immersive entertainment that’ll give you all the good story feels!
Is there anything that cheap and entertaining left these days?
Hmm… watching people fight in the park?
A bad cup of coffee from a convenience store?
A Red Box rental? Wait… do they still have those?
Eating a Happy Meal at McDonald’s… alone?
Reading One Thing Better is much better than that! (Ha, book pun!).
So, yes—$5 = a good deal.
But if you’re like me (or my dad), you always want a better deal. So, wait, there’s more…
Don’t bother with the preorder… Get an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) for free!
What if you don’t want to wait for pumpkin spice lattes and a crisp fall day to enjoy One Thing Better? I’ll send you a free ebook in exchange for your honest, pre-release review posted at any online seller. It’s another awesome way to spread more book love. Just use this box…
And everyone loves supporting great stories and hopeful writers, so maybe Reese Witherspoon and Netflix will notice them one day, right?
If you’re still unsure about preordering or ARC reviewing, then here’s the latest book blurb to get your reader-senses tingling:
A feel-good story of love and reinvention at the worst time…
Nothing ever works out for Lena Buckley. After losing her bakery business and marriage three years ago and caring for her mom ever since, Lena’s convinced she’s not like other people—ones with awesome careers, relationships, and health insurance. She’s thirty-five and has nothing to show for it but the junk-filled and dilapidated farm she’s inherited and an anxiety disorder that’s exacerbated in the wake of her mother’s death. Starting her life over, again, means major decisions ahead—she must move before the house falls down around her, but where? Into the safety of her brother’s Malibu pool house or risk what little she has for a shot at independence? Either way, she’s a mess, so she relies on the simple mantra that helped her through tough times with her mom—make one thing better.
Ben Wright has his life together, like most thirty-somethings. A disabled army veteran and local cop, Ben’s the type to have all the required insurance, health or otherwise. When Lena reaches out to him for help with her family’s gun collection—one of many things her parents hoarded over the years—he’s quick to say it’s no trouble. Though stoic, hard to read, and not one for chitchat, his quiet kindness intrigues and inspires her. An odd but endearing relationship builds on the one thing they have in common—brokenness.
But, when the COVID-19 pandemic shuts the world down, taking her opportunities with it, Lena’s not just a mess but a disaster. Only Ben doesn’t see her that way. Their agreement just to be honest with each other and see what happens sparks a warm connection that deepens the more he shows up and as the pandemic draws them closer. Falling in love during a pandemic without a plan for her future or clue where she’ll end up? This can’t be a good idea. Besides, when you’re Lena Buckley, dreams, relationships, and Hallmark-esque futures can’t be trusted. When her situation falls apart again, and her anxiety worsens, Lena fights a familiar battle: the one between her heart and her head. Will her one-thing-better mission make a better life for her, or is her failing history stuck on repeat?
One Thing Better is a warm, funny, and, best of all, honest love story featuring broken people and (actual & metaphorical) fireworks. Expect laughs, tears, bad words, and the occasional mouse.
As for me, releasing my sixth book is definitely worth a pants-off celebration—whatever that means. The years and tears that have gone into it have finally brought us to the anxious, giddy, terrifying, joyful, and nail-biting part of handing it over to readers and hoping they like it. But more on publishing anxiety later.
For now…
For more about the One Thing Better journey, check out my blog and sign up for my newsletter.
