Thursday, August 10, 2017

Celebrating 50 Books

by Shanna Hatfield

When I was a little girl, I loved books and reading, as well as making up stories in my head. I didn't put many of those stories on paper, but I did often share them with my nieces and nephew (they were close to my age and always seemed more like younger siblings).

In high school, I was fascinated with the world of journalism, writing for the school paper and an independent newspaper in our small town. I went off to college with big hopes and dreams, finally settling on a communications degree and embarked on a career (not surprisingly) in journalism, working for a daily newspaper.

Fast forward eighteen years. I'd left behind the world of newspapers and deadlines and switched gears into marketing. I still dabbled with writing, sending articles to a regional magazine every few months. But I missed writing every day.

One thing I'd always wanted to do was write a book. My first attempt at writing the next bestseller was a story feverishly written my senior year of high school in multi-colored pen on college-ruled notebooks after having read The Princess Bride for the umpteenth time. Yes, my book was dreadful, and recognizing it as such, I tossed the notebooks and gave up on writing a romance. At least for then.

Through the years, the thought of writing a novel lingered in the back of my mind. One cold wintry day in February 2010, I sat down and decided to at least try to type out the ideas running rampant through my head. The story of a couple facing a rough time in their marriage poured from my head and heart onto the keyboard in just two weeks.

That story became the first book in my Women of Tenacity series, but also the first sweet romance I wrote.

(By the way, Heart of Clay is still free this month, so if you missed it during our July sale, check it out. It's also available now in audio format!)

I penned two more novels and a short story for the contemporary series and published all of them in June 2011. I can't even begin to describe how exciting and incredible and awesome if felt when someone downloaded the very first copy of my book.

Suddenly, I felt like a real honest-to-goodness author in that moment. And I'll tell you something else... I completely fell head over heels in love with writing sweet romances. I love, love, love to write happily ever afters.

Bitten by the bug to continue writing, I dived in to a new western romance series set in Grass Valley, Oregon, called Grass Valley Cowboys.  I had such fun drawing on many of my own rural life experiences during my growing up years to add to these stories of three brothers, their friends, and widowed mother.

Originally, I'd planned to only write five books in the series, but readers let me know there had to be more. And so there were. And so there shall be.

It wasn't until November of 2012 when I released my first historic romance. I was terrified of getting the details right, of portraying enough history to make an interesting setting without overwhelming the readers with something that read like a history book.

The Christmas Bargain was the first in what would become my Hardman Holidays series.

You know what I discovered while researching and writing it? I love researching historical details. Oh, my goodness! I had such fun looking at the clothes, studying old photographs, dreaming of how the house and town might look. The town I chose for the setting is now a ghost town, but back in the 1890s, it was a bustling, thriving community along a stage line.

I'm not quite ready to end this series, so there will be a few more books to celebrate Christmas with Hardman Holidays. The books all recently received new covers. If you haven't taken a look at them since last Christmas, check them out and let me know what you think.

Among the books I've written are four books with tips on entertaining, decorating and recipes (the entire Savvy Entertaining Series is free!).

I've also penned two humorous non-fiction books. Farm Girl offers a look into my childhood years, growing up wild and free (well, I wanted to be!) on a farm in Eastern Oregon. Fifty Dates with Captain Cavedweller is a journal I kept when my beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller, and I decided to embark on a year-long dating project. 

Today marks two milestones for me.

Four years ago, I left behind my job as a marketing director at a hotel and began writing full-time. That was a huge leap of faith but one I'm grateful for every single day. I love this crazy, beautiful life and can't imagine doing anything other than writing the stories my characters demand I share with readers.

The second milestone is one I never dreamed I'd reach. Especially when I sat down to write that very first book. Today, my 50th book releases. It's the second book in my World War II series, Hearts of the War.



Home of Her Heart is set in Pendleton (so if you've enjoyed my Pendleton Petticoats series, catch up with many of the characters when they are much older and wiser!). If you're familiar with WWII history, the famous Doolittle Raid is the inspiration for this story. Of  the 80 men who flew on this secret mission to drop the bomb on Japan in 1942, 79 of them were based in Pendleton at the airfield.  

All he needed was a bride…
Who said anything about falling in love?
Orphaned at birth and a loner all his life, the last thing Sergeant Klayne Campbell needs is for feisty Delaney Danvers to entangle his thoughts.  Bravely volunteering for a top-secret mission almost certain to get him killed, Klayne can’t bear the thought of dying utterly alone. All he wants is to face death knowing his life meant something to at least one person. Offering Delaney a marriage of convenience, he plans to leave behind a war bride as his beneficiary. After just one night as her husband, Klayne realizes he’ll do anything to survive and return to her.
The moment she met handsome Sergeant Campbell at a holiday party, Delaney’s whole world shifted off kilter. Full of fun with an unquenchable zest for life, she isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. And what she wants is Klayne. When he prepares to join a hazardous mission, she seizes the opportunity to give him a reason to fight his way back home — to her heart.
A tender, sweet romance rich with history and enduring love, Home of Her Heart captures the era and emotions prevalent during America’s entry into World War II.



To celebrate the release of Home of Her Heart (and 50 books!), I'm throwing a party today on Facebook! I hope you'll pop over and join in the fun. There will be oodles of prizes, too. I'm giving away 50 paperbacks, a $50 Amazon gift card, and more! And there will nine wonderful guest authors joining in the fun, too, including some familiar faces from here at Sweet Romance Reads!  https://www.facebook.com/events/1030975103706325/

To all of you who have read my books, offered encouragement, written reviews, shared your thoughts for future stories, attended my parties, joined my street team, and lifted me up when I needed a hand - my heartfelt thanks to you all.



Here's to the next 50 books! 

And if you have read my books, I'd love to know which one is your favorite!

~*~


The Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 Boxed Set  will be up for preorder starting Thursday, August 24th. Join the authors for the SCK4 Pre-Order Party on Facebook and kick off the holiday season with fun games, giveaways & prizes.

 

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~*~
After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky heroes.

When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

10 comments:

  1. Awesome accomplishment, Shanna. Congrats on number 50!

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  2. Wow, Shanna. Wonderful accomplishment. Best wishes on your 50th book and here's to the next 50!

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  3. Wow! Congratulations! That is a fabulous accomplishment.

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  4. Congratulations, Shanna! Fifty books in seven years is quite an accomplishment!

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    1. Thank you, Denise! It's been such fun. I'm looking forward to the next 50!

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  5. It's a huge accomplishment, Shanna! Congratulations to you!!!

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