Hello, friends. I love today’s post for so many reasons, it’s hard to know where to start!

My guest blogger, Stanalei Fletcher, is one of the very first friends I made online when I waded into the world of publishing back in 2012. It was great to connect with someone else who was just starting out, too.

Stanalei now has a number of titles to her credit, including her latest, PROVING GROUND, an adventure/romance/intrigue novel. I LOVED this book for soooo many reasons! Please check out my five-star review on Amazon.

And if that isn’t enough, Stanalei is sharing her thoughts on a topic that resonates strongly with me−−series novels. Her comments are spot on! Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed PROVING GROUND so much, and look forward to the next entries in this fantastic series! 🙂

Please welcome, Stanalei Fletcher . . .

~ooOOoo~

Thank You, Mae, for sharing your blog and your audience today. I’m excited to be here to post a bit about my new Northstar Security Series and the first book in the series, Proving Ground.  

Why Write A Series? 

Who doesn’t love a good television series or a sequel to a favorite movie…as long as the sequel is as good or better than the first movie?

I love a good series. But I’m picky about the type of series I watch. For instance, I also love closure. I’m not a fan of cliffhangers. I feel incomplete and frustrated at the end of a season finale cliffhanger, or part I of II of a movie sequel. Of course, I’m anxious to see the next installment, and I’m likely to pay good money for a seat. But what if I lose the opportunity to see or read the end of the story? I already have an uneasy feeling about the last episode, why would I put myself through that emotional rollercoaster again?

That said, I get the reasoning behind cliffhangers, or a continuity thread that waits to wrap up in book 3. Readers love to know there is more to come with their favorite character or storyline. Marketing loves a hook. “Leave ‘em wanting more” has been a tried and true marketing message for decades.

So if this is how I feel about a series, why did I write one? And what are my stories like?

For starters, that ol’ marketing adage, “leave ‘em wanting more”, makes sense. But my Northstar Security books are not cliffhangers. I want readers to close that last page with a satisfied feeling of a complete story. I hope they’ll come back and look at the next book in the series, but if they choose not to, then I don’t want to leave them frustrated.

Each of my Northstar Security books features a couple who experience challenges and conflict in their circumstances. But in the end, the two are destined to win the day, and find happiness with each other. Readers can enjoy just one book and not feel like there’s unfinished business at the story’s end. Or readers can look forward to the next book in the Northstar Security series to see what other characters are up to and if they, too, will find their own satisfying conclusion.

I hope that the first book in my Northstar Security series, Proving Ground, offers such a read.

Thank you for spending a few minutes of your valuable time with me today. For more information about the upcoming stories in my Northstar Security series, you can check out the book’s website page here. Or sign up for my newsletter here.

I have a Goodreads Giveaway going on now until June 30^th for Proving Ground. Please feel free to pop on over to Goodreads and enter for a chance to win an autographed copy. Here’s a link.  

A little bit about Proving Ground: 

“A wonderful new voice in romantic suspense. Caitlin Malone is a true heroine: tough and intelligent.” ~Dana Marton, New York Times Bestselling Author~

“PROVING GROUND is an intriguing story filled with tension. A strong debut.” ~Laura Griffin, New York Times Bestselling Author~

BLURB:
Screw-ups don’t get second chances. That’s what Caitlin Malone believes when she returns to Oregon after failing her first Northstar Security assignment. When she inadvertently stumbles across a plot to steal deadly pathogens from the bio-lab near her hometown, she sees a chance at redemption.

USDA Forest Ranger, John ‘Mac’ MacAlistair, doesn’t want to babysit the motorcycle club holding their annual rally in his national forest. To make matters worse, Caitlin is attending the rally with Mac’s estranged uncle. Having her home again brings up feelings that are better left buried.

It’s early September. Any spark will send the dry timber into a raging fire. The terrorists are counting on that distraction to work in their favor. When Caitlin is trapped by the wildfire, her only hope of rescue is pinned on Mac, the man she’s tried two years to forget. Before they can share their feelings, Mac and Caitlin must first escape the burning forest and stop the terrorists from releasing the deadly pathogens.

Proving Ground is available from all of these bookstores:
The Wild Rose Press – Trade Paperback 
The Wild Rose Press –ebook 
Amazon.com 
Barnes and Noble 
iBook/iTunes 
Google Play 
Kobo Books 
All Romance eBooks.com

About the Author:
Stanalei Fletcher’s love of writing romance stems from reading favorites such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Barbara Cartland, and Alistair MacLean. She has over twenty years of training in the martial arts and holds the rank of Sandan, a third-degree black belt, in Aikido.

After a taste of life on both U.S. coasts, she now resides in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her hero, who is also her best friend and husband. Together they enjoy the open road astride a Harley, visiting museums and exploring ghost towns.

~ooOOoo~

Thank you for stopping by Mae’s blog to visit with me. I’d love to hear from you. You can find me at any of the following locations:

Website   
Twitter –  @StanaleiFletch 
Facebook  
Blog 
Goodreads 
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