September Book Release and Book Sale

THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES was released on 9/5. 

http://ow.ly/mzJH30eYNo1

This is a story about love and family, and what we’d do to protect them…and in so doing, protect ourselves. Hannah Cooper, living a secluded life in Cooper’s Hollow, made choices she kept secret and years later those secrets may need to be revealed. 

How far would you go to protect your loved ones? And will they forgive you when they find out? (Excerpt below)

THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN is on sale for the month of September for $1.99. http://ow.ly/6bN330eyGDK  I hope you’ll take advantage of the sale if you haven’t already read it. Here’s a brief description: 

Cassandra "Sandra" Hurst did everything right growing up and believed that would give her a bright future, but instead she got Trent Hurst. Her parents helped with the divorce but then she made the same mistakes all over again, and this time they won’s, but her aunt offers her the opportunity to house sit at the old family place on Shoemaker Road to regroup and recover herself. 

Sandra got lost between what she wanted in life and what she found. If she has the opportunity for a second chance, will she have the guts to try?

Excerpt from THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES:

Prologue: 

 

My daughter, Ellen, will graduate from high school this year. The closer we get to graduation, the harder the past is coming at me, kicking like a living creature and forcing its way back into my life. With it, it brings happy memories but also those that were gladly forgotten—including the memory of how I lost my Ellen seventeen years ago, then found her again. I grew up in Virginia, in the woods of Cooper’s Hollow amid the leafy green shadows of Elk Ridge. The rough banks of Cub Creek cut through our land from north to south such that one was never far from the music of its dark water. 

Our small house had sheltered many generations of Coopers, including those resting in the family cemetery on the hill opposite the house. I never wanted to be anywhere else except for a brief time, eighteen years ago, when I, myself, was about to graduate from high school. Six years after that, our home in Cooper’s Hollow burned down, and we were forced to move into town—we being Ellen and me. 

The nearby town of Mineral wasn’t big by most people’s standards, but from my perspective, it certainly was. Moving into town was scary, in part because Ellen was kindergarten age. I’d never wanted to draw attention, and it would be noticeable if she didn’t start school. It was time for it anyway, and it turned out that when it came to school and being around teachers and other children, Ellen was like a lively duck landing in a sparkling lake—it was made for her. I’d taught her some at home, and the school administrators, recognizing her quick mind, moved her into first grade early. Our new life was a perfect fit for Ellen. So, while I talked for the next dozen years about rebuilding our house and going back to live in the Hollow, I never actually got around to doing anything about it. Instead, I settled into the daily life of being a mom, working at my pottery business, and even volunteering at church and with the ladies’ auxiliary. How my grandmother would’ve laughed at the idea of my toting a homemade pound cake or a pasta casserole to a function! But you fit in as you can where you find yourself, and residing in town was social. Very different from living in the Hollow. 

For these last several years, I’ve been biding my time, waiting until the timing was right for both of us—for Ellen to graduate and begin her college career and for me to return home to Cooper’s Hollow permanently—to finally face the past.

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Grace Greene is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of women’s fiction and contemporary romance set in her native Virginia (Kincaid’s Hope, Cub Creek, The Happiness In Between, The Memory of Butterflies) and the breezy beaches of Emerald Isle, North Carolina (Beach Rental, Beach Winds, Beach Walk, Beach Christmas). Her debut novel, Beach Rental, and the sequel, Beach Winds, are both Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. For more about the author and her books, visit www.gracegreene.com or connect with her on Twitter @Grace_Greene and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GraceGreeneBooks.

New Release and A Giveaway ~ The Memory of Butterflies

Welcome to Sweet Romance Reads! I’m Grace Greene and I have a new release coming out in seventeen days!!! THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES will be released on 9/5 and you can preorder it HERE and get the Amazon low price guarantee on all formats. If you order the ebook, it will conveniently show up on your Kindle on release day!

You can also take advantage of a Goodreads opportunity. Lake Union Publishing is offering 100 Kindle copies of THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES as part of a Goodreads giveaway (US only). Enter the giveaway HERE.

Here’s a short description:

A young mother lies to keep a devastating family secret from being revealed, but the lies, themselves, could end up destroying everything and everyone she loves. 

Hannah Cooper’s daughter, Ellen, is leaving for college soon. As Ellen’s high school graduation approaches, Hannah decides it’s time to return to her roots in Cooper’s Hollow along Virginia’s beautiful and rustic Cub Creek. Hannah's new beginning comes with unanticipated risks that will cost her far more than she ever imagined—perhaps more than she can survive. When a confrontation forces Hannah to expose her secret, she is prepared to sacrifice everything to protect her family, but can their lives and their bond withstand the seismic shift that’s coming?

Editorial reviews say: 

“The Memory of Butterflies is an emotionally gripping tale of a mother’s love and the secret so great it threatens to destroy her world. Grace Greene masterfully captures the beauty and isolation of Cooper’s Hollow and enriches it with deftly created characters that tug at your heartstrings. A beautiful story, beautifully told.” —Bette Lee Crosby, USA Today bestselling author

“Brimming with heart-rending choices, The Memory of Butterflies celebrates the unshakeable bonds of parental devotion in an uplifting tale of love’s ability to heal the deepest wounds and silence the darkest regrets. Highly recommended.” —Christine Nolfi, author of Sweet Lake, and The Comfort of Secrets.

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Grace Greene writes Stories of Heart and Hope from The Outer Banks to The Blue Ridge and is a USA Today bestselling author of women’s fiction and contemporary romance set in her native Virginia (Kincaid’s Hope, Cub Creek, Leaving Cub Creek, A Stranger in Wynnedower, The Happiness In Between, The Memory of Butterflies) and the breezy beaches of Emerald Isle, North Carolina (Beach Rental, Beach Winds, Beach Walk, Beach Christmas). Her debut novel, Beach Rental, and its sequel, Beach Winds, were both Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. For more about the author and her novels, visit www.gracegreene.com or connect with her on Twitter @Grace_Greene and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GraceGreeneBooks.

I'm Grace Greene and I'm Delighted to Meet You!

April is the month for re-introducing ourselves here at Sweet Romance Reads. It’s a great idea and especially appropriate for this time of year. Some of you may know that I write the Emerald Isle, NC books, BEACH RENTAL, BEACH WINDS, BEACH WALK and BEACH CHRISTMAS, and the Virginia Country Roads novels, CUBCREEK, LEAVING CUB CREEK, KINCAID’S HOPE and A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER. I was born and raised in Virginia but my mother is from North Carolina and I have many friends and family members there. You can find more info about the books I've written on my website www.gracegreene.com.

I wrote on and off through the years, but never published. I painted, mostly in oils (I was an art major in college) and took a turn at quilting, spent many years crocheting blankets and doilies, raised children, stayed married, and so on. Here's a grouping of some of my paintings.

In late 2010, I submitted two books I’d written to a small press, Turquoise Morning Press, and they offered a contract for those books and within a few months, in July 2011, I became officially published. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I published my next books myself and discovered how much I enjoyed being Indie. I loved creating my own covers, even doing the formatting. The only issue was finding the time I needed to get it all done. 

A lot changed for me in 2016. A year ago this month I became a full-time writer. After decades of working day jobs and writing in the evenings and weekends, I took the leap.I was also very blessed because Lake Union Publishing (an Amazon Imprint specializing in Women's Fiction) contacted me about that time. I was thrilled. Ultimately, we agreed that I would write two books, both standalone single titles, for them. 

The first book I published with Lake Union was THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN, released January 31, 2017. The second book, THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES, is currently available for pre-order and will be released on September 5, 2017. 

Can I tell you something about THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES? I wrote that book starting with only the vaguest idea. Really, nothing more than a writing prompt, a "what-if". It gave me a starting point but I had no idea where it would go. I'm comfortable creating stories that way, but THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES was different. It was a new experience for me. I felt as if Hannah Cooper was sitting beside me whispering the story to me. I merely recorded it. I to do a bit of revision and clean up, especially since I was crying my heart out through most of it, but the story itself is Hannah's. 

It was a very emotional experience for me. I will leave it to you, the future reader, to determine whether it moves you emotionally. I hope that when you are done ~ after the book is closed ~ it will linger with you and that Hannah will feel as real to you as she does to me.  The book blurb is below. Pre-order link is here. 

THE MEMORY OFBUTTERFLIES (release date September 5, 2017) 

A young mother's lies could end up destroying everything, and everyone, she loves. The Memory of Butterflies is a poignant story of family and forgiveness—of knowing when to let go and when to hold each other close.

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Hannah Cooper’s daughter is leaving for college soon. The change is bittersweet. A single mother since the age of eighteen, Hannah isn’t eager to confront the pain of being alone, but she’s determined not to let her own hang-ups keep Ellen from the future she deserves. As Ellen’s high school graduation approaches, Hannah decides it’s time to return to her roots in Cooper’s Hollow along Virginia’s beautiful and rustic Cub Creek.

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Grace Greene is a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes sweet romance and women's fiction. Visit her at www.gracegreene.com

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