Guest Post – Lauren Monroe –Second Chances: Book Two of The Maryland Shores

Shore Thing Publishing

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Queenstown, MD • shorethingpublishing@gmail.com

The Reading Frenzy Blog
Guest Post by Lauren Monroe, Maryland author


Please welcome Lauren Monroe to The Reading Frenzy. She takes time on her blog tour to talk about women’s fiction and The Maryland Shores series. Second Chances: Book Two of The Maryland Shores debuts this week—timed for women to use those Mother’s Day gift cards and just before beach-season reading.






Letting Go: Book One of The Maryland Shores (second edition pub date April 2015)
eBook ISBN:978-0-9912822-0-3 and paperback ISBN: 978-0-9912822-1-0
Shore Thing Publishing, 307 pages

Second Chances: Book Two of The Maryland Shores (pub date May 2015)
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9912822-2-7 and paperback ISBN: 978-0-9912822-3-4
Shore Thing Publishing, 291 pages


Blurb: Readers said they wanted Book Two of The Maryland Shores:

“Loved reading Letting Go: Book One. It was well written and relevant. The characters, like us, look for true love that lasts. I couldn’t stop reading. Can’t wait for the next book!” — purchaser

“Many references to the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore and Pittsburgh rivalry made me chuckle as planning a dinner around football is exactly how it’s done at our house.” — Goodreads member

“I wanted to stay immersed in Maren, Steve and the Chesapeake Bay and was sorry to see Book One end. It was full of real emotion and experiences that women especially will recognize. Looking forward to Book Two!” — from Amazon

Now, the story continues...Paul Romano once spent most waking hours fantasizing about Liz. More than 15 years later, he needs her again, only as a lifeline back from his broken world.

Liz Kramer would forever remember Paul as the Italian Stallion, off limits as her brother Steve's best med school buddy. He was—and maybe still is—fussy about food, smug about his nationality, razor sharp with wit, and wild about women. Oh, and he’s a diehard Steelers football fan, and well...Liz could bleed purple, cheering her Baltimore Ravens.


When Liz's idyllic Chesapeake life takes a plunge, she needs Paul's friendship more than any fantasy. Liz must manage two children and one conniving, estranged husband. What’s more, Paul's Pittsburgh mother shares her name with a brewing hurricane. Fitting, as both head straight at Liz while someone heaps more hurt onto Steve, jeopardizing his future with Maren. See who gets another shot at happiness—and possibly love—with this intertwining story of Second Chances: Book Two of The Maryland Shores.

Lauren Monroe’s Thoughts on Women’s Fiction

When people learn I write women’s fiction with romantic storylines, they’ll often ask about ideas, how to get published…the usual. Yet, every once in awhile, I hear: “Oh that type of book isn’t for me.”

Respecting everyone’s preferences, I smile and let the conversation take its natural course. Are the occasional comments biased by decades-old images of bodice-ripping covers? Invariably, I’m left wondering about some of these quick rushes to judgment because, as the chats continue, I learn how reading provides an escape for most every woman. Exactly!

Women’s fiction does differ from genre romance, but central to both is the relationship and the promise of happily ever after. The latter ends there (averaging 80,000 words, less for category romances) while the former—women’s fiction—delivers more in terms of book length, the character journeys and plot complexities. Other relationships, namely family and friends, rank high also, and women’s fiction might well deviate from the rules of romance.

In a strict romance novel, heroines and their hero men are exclusive; they have no other romantic involvements between the covers (take that literally and figuratively). The story often involves an antagonist set on keeping them apart, and well, we know how the story ends.

Women’s fiction, however, may weave a few more characters into the fabric of the novel, and while these books leave the reader satisfied, the stories may not wrap up quite as neatly as romance fans anticipate. Is there a little more reality added to the fantasy in women’s fiction? You decide.

Intelligent, modern women do read to escape, and I think they like to walk in another character’s high heels and live vicariously. Why not? There’s absolutely no risk to read—or dare I say dream—about a good-looking man who treats the character well…and wants her.

For a few moments as women scroll an eReader or crack open paperback pages, women get to fall in love all over again, travel to new destinations, work a different career, and deal with atypical problems that get solved in a few hundred pages—all for under $20, on average. How cool is that?

Here’s my challenge this month of Mother’s Day: If you’re tired of Superwoman try-outs and feel that you spend inordinate amounts of time caring for others and finding things for—who else—the guys in your life, then pick up some women’s fiction. Make it a true romance novel if you like. Either way, indulge yourself in another woman’s world. If the escape doesn’t bring a smile to your face—at least a slight curve to your lips—then for sure, let’s talk.


You can email or message me through www.laurenmonroenovels.com and www.facebook.com/lauren.monroe.novels. Follow on Twitter @LaurnMonroe (yes, that’s spelled correctly…I wasn’t there first!) and on Pinterest and Goodreads with an author page.


Happy reading!


Connect with Lauren - Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads


MEET LAUREN:
Lauren Monroe is a novelist residing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A native of Pittsburgh, she grew up around boats and beautiful scenery in Western Maryland, later moving to the Washington, D.C. suburbs before settling across the Bay Bridge.