Read More from Calle J. Brookes

Well, it’s been a while. Again. Time just keeps getting away from me, especially when I am heavily into writing a new book.

Things have been beyond chaos. Total roller coaster.

We were looking for a larger house, with better office space for me, and some room to spread out. We found one we liked well enough, made an offer, were preapproved, went through the entire loan process—only to have the mortgage company come back at the very last minute (after they’d ordered an appraisal and it came back looking great!) and suddenly say we needed to double our down payment and give them our tax refund to ‘buy down the mortgage rate’. Why the sudden issue? Because we are self-employed. Then they started making a bunch of ‘suggestions’ of ways for us to get the money to increase the down payment, that started to sound…ridiculous. My spidey sense started going off big time.

Once we said, “No. We’re walking away.” all problems could somehow ‘be fixed’ within hours. Well, if they could fix it after we said we were finished, why not fix it before? What were they really after? The guy got incredibly pushy, and I got incredibly…determined not to be pushed around.

So, we walked. Backed out completely. Something just did not feel right in what that guy was asking us to do. Still, I am good at saying “no” when I need to. So I said it loud and clear. Talk about disappointing. But…we feel just fine about ‘walking’. I am 100% certain we had a close call there. I don’t want to work with a mortgage company who yanks people around like that. Or partake in such deceptive business practices.

Somewhere in that time, I ended up ‘drafted’ to coach kiddo’s softball team. (That just keeps happening every year). I had originally said no, (that whole getting ready to move thing, after all), but they needed help. Experienced help—the woman coaching had never coached softball before. So I get to stand out there throwing a softball around with 11-13 year old girls. It has been going really, really well. The girls get along great, they are taking responsibility for their team—helping run the dugout, etc.—and they are really learning. Most of all, they are all having fun.

My kiddo is in private pitching lessons with a former D1 college softball coach. She’s getting scary good. We were told her next step, since we homeschool, is probably going to have to be a travel/club softball team. I am on the fence with that. It’s a big time commitment, and I have heard some serious horror stories about travel teams. But she’s decided she wants to coach college softball someday, so…softball it is.

We are thinking of doing another year of private lessons with her, and since she’s only just turned 13 back in December (and in spite of taking high school classes, is age-wise just now 7^th grade), talking to the local schools about playing for the high school team when she is old enough–or the junior high team next year. Although she’ll be a sophomore credit-wise this time next year. In Indiana, homeschoolers can do sports/extra curriculars, if they do one class minimum at the school—even online. We have already been told she can participate in drama club next year, if she wants. 

Also during this chaos, I finished a paranormal that I have been wanting to write since…2012. It is one of the books I had to put on the virtual shelf because of time constraints. I finally started it last October. I launched it this week! 

Rule 1: Don’t listen to a mysterious voice that orders you out into the night.

Rule 2: Don’t ever get captured by werewolves.

Rule 3: If a werewolf-vampire hyrid tells you he is your destined mate, run like hell.

Becca always followed the rules. But the creature holding her captive now has one rule of his own: never let her go…

(If you click the cover, it’ll take you to my paranormal website.)

Unlike the previous books in the series that are available now, Mated to the Wolf is not a relaunched title. It is brand new. And I am super-stoked that I finished it. Next, I am working on the revised version of Anna/Jason’s book. It just never really felt complete to me before. I’m hoping to have it out by May. I’m at about 75% finished with it.

Anyway, Rebecca and Matthuin’s book Mated to the Wolf is available for $3.99, for the next week. It is a brand-new, full length, title of 55K. So it will go up to $4.99 on May 5! 

You can find it at:

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/mated-to-the-wolf/id6499216662

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mated-Wolf-Dardanos-Book-7-ebook/dp/B0D2H8K32R

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mated-to-the-wolf-c-j-brookes/1145483932?ean=2940179607144

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=kZ8DEQAAQBAJ&pli=1

& 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mated-to-the-wolf-4

In Calle book news: 

I am almost, almost, almost ready to send Powell and Gunnar to the editor. I have a few missing scenes to write, and well…there are bad guys that must be stopped. It looks like the next Finley will release in June! I do have a cover and title, but not an actual release date yet. I also don’t know if I will do a preorder on this one or not. It just depends on timing with the editor-goddess who puts up with me. Here is what the cover most likely will look like!

And a few more notes:

I am working on some new things, that are Finley Creek ‘adjacent’. I’ll share more on them when I have some scheduling figured out, etc. I am also working on Mastersons, and even have some PAVAD stuff in the works.

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful spring (if it is spring where you are!). Since we aren’t moving any time soon, I am going to go plant shopping today–and well, order a new pair of kid eyeballs…

And one more thing…

I was finally able to get a cover ready and bundle the first three Storm Stories into one volume. It’s calledDay of the Storm, and contains Storm Warning (A.J. Evers/Sean Callum), Storm Damage (Daryn/Mike Evers, and Storm Threat (Brooke/Houston Evers). These are 60-80 page novelettes and were available for direct purchase via my website for a few years. I have pulled the direct store down to migrate to Shopify soon. 

Here is the blurb:

July 29th was a day that changed Finley Creek, Texas forever. No one could escape the storm unscathed. Day of the Storm is a collection of three novelettes, set during the events of the Finley Creek: Disaster mini-series. 

In Storm Warning,Sean Callum has a secret love for his best friend’s sister, Autumn Evers, a forensic scientist who sees Sean as nothing more than a nuisance. But when an F4 tornado shatters their world, trapping them in the rubble, Sean must find a way to reveal his true feelings, hoping it’s not too late to win Autumn’s heart amidst the chaos.

In Storm Damage,destruction reigns after an F4 tornado devastates the Texas State Police building. Inside, Detective Mike Evers and Assistant M.E. Daryn Mabry are forced to set aside their tumultuous history. With Mike’s sister and others they love trapped beneath the debris, the pair must cooperate to orchestrate a daring rescue, battling not only the elements but their own unresolved tensions.

And in Storm Threat, Radio producer Brooke Jacobs masks her vulnerability with bravado, but when an F4 tornado traps her and the dismissive meteorologist Houston Evers at their station, her façade begins to crumble. Brooke faces not only the fury of the storm but a more personal danger right there in the station. Now, Houston must protect Brooke from the storm outside and the growing threat within, seeing her in a light he never expected.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Storm-Finley-Stories-Collection-ebook/dp/B0D15KR9KB

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=1ecEEQAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/day-of-the-storm-1

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/day-of-the-storm-calle-j-brookes/1145507935

Apple: **I am still waiting on the link for Apple to go live. They are taking their sweet time this weekend. I’ll check again tonight—after I go to the vision center at Walmart. (They are open 12-5, even on Sunday!) Kiddo snapped her glasses in half last night. Thankfully, we’d bought her a brand new pair of prescription sports glasses two weeks ago before softball season began…She’s just going to have to wear them in the meantime, even though they make her look like a bug.** I’ll post Apple as soon as I can!