2022: A Year in the Life of Lilly Avalon

Friday, December 30, 2022 No comments

Hello lovelies,

It's been a long year, hasn't it? I honestly thought that 2020 and 2021 were bad enough, but then 2022 came along and decided to make a mockery of the previous two years.

At the beginning of the year, I was psyched up to get more books published in 2022. The plan was to publish 2 books as Lilly and 2 as Jessica (my IRL name). Things were going well in the first part of the year. I was able to finish one book for each name.

Then the day I published my Jessica book (June 21st, first day of summer), I caught COVID. My husband had already gotten it, so I knew I would likely be getting it, too. It knocked me out for a week, then it took a couple more weeks for the brain fog to dissipate. Then the engine on one of our vehicles decided to blow up and we were unable to get it fixed. Not long after, my neighbor started to deal with some health issues. I helped her out as much as I could, but it became serious, and she needed to go to the hospital. She unfortunately passed away within a couple of months.

All of this was extremely overwhelming and made it difficult for me to focus on anything, let alone writing and publishing. I originally intended to push back my remaining two releases by one month each, but when everything continued to wreak havoc on my life, I ultimately had to acknowledge that it just wasn't going to work out this year. If I would've pushed myself, maybe I could have gotten one of them written and published, but the quality of the story wouldn't have been good.

So, 2022 was a bit of a mess to say the least. However, I did manage to publish one short story, Somebody to Treasure. It was first published in a limited-edition anthology in August, then I published it on its own in September. It may not be much, but I'm still proud of myself for being able to do it.


Despite the setbacks, I still had some good things happen in 2022. I joined Radish and four of my books are available to read on there now. I met my Goodreads reading goal of 27 books this year. I've also spent lots of time with friends and family, getting to see my mom for the first time in person since before the pandemic. And I was able to be creative with my cross-stitching and crocheting projects.

Now that 2022 is coming to a close... it's time to start thinking about 2023! I'll be posting my goals for the new year by January 2nd, so make sure you return to read that post!

Here's to a great year!

Somebody to Treasure Release Day!

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 No comments

It's release day for Somebody to Treasure!



After my year-long relationship ends abruptly, my best friend and movie star Jasper Schwarz whisks me away on a tropical vacation. The two of us have been friends for years, but this close proximity at a romantic location is stirring up emotions I never thought I'd have for him. I keep getting the feeling that he might be experiencing the same, but he’s a movie star and I’m just an ordinary girl. There’s no way he could be interested in me like that.

Or could he?


Purchase on Amazon | B&N (delayed) | Kobo | Apple | Smashwords
| Add to your Goodreads shelf |


Happy Reading!

Somebody to Treasure Cover Reveal!

Friday, September 2, 2022 No comments

Surprise, lovelies! It's a cover reveal!

Somebody to Treasure, my short story featured in the Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise Anthology, will be available on retailers on September 13th. Today is the official cover reveal!


After my year-long relationship ends abruptly, my best friend and movie star Jasper Schwarz whisks me away on a tropical vacation. The two of us have been friends for years, but this close proximity at a romantic location is stirring up emotions I never thought I'd have for him. I keep getting the feeling that he might be experiencing the same, but he’s a movie star and I’m just an ordinary girl. There’s no way he could be interested in me like that.

Or could he?

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Preorder:
| Amazon | B&N [coming soon!] | Apple Books | Kobo | Smashwords |


What do you think of the cover?

Sign Ups for the Release Blitz and ARCs for Somebody to Treasure

Thursday, September 1, 2022 No comments

Hello, Lovelies!

I am super excited to announce the sign-ups for the release blitz and ARC form for Somebody to Treasure.

This book is the first book in the Star Struck series and was featured in the Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise Anthology.

If you're interested in sharing on release day or reading and reviewing an ARC of Somebody to Treasure, please fill out this form. I would love to have you be part of sharing this new release.

Here's more information about the book:

Title: Somebody to Treasure
Author: Lilly Avalon (ME!)
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Length: Short Story (under 10k/43 pages)
Heat Level: 3 (according to this chart)
Release Date: September 13th

Blurb:

After my year-long relationship ends abruptly, my best friend and movie star Jasper Schwarz whisks me away on a tropical vacation. The two of us have been friends for years, but this close proximity at a romantic location is stirring up emotions I never thought I'd have for him. I keep getting the feeling that he might be experiencing the same, but he’s a movie star and I’m just an ordinary girl. There’s no way he could be interested in me like that.

Or could he?

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Don't forget to fill out the form for the opportunity to spread the word and/or read the book! Sign-ups will close on September 7th and participants will be contacted by September 8th.


Thanks for reading!

Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise is Now Available!

Monday, August 1, 2022 No comments

Hello Lovelies!

I am so excited to announce that I'm featured in the Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise Anthology! This collection features ten rom-com stories, including one by yours truly. My book, Somebody to Treasure, is included and I can't wait for you to meet Jasper and Tabitha!

The best thing about this anthology is that it is ABSOLUTELY FREE. So, go grab your free copy!


Escape to paradise and fall in love!

Pack a suitcase and join us at the beach with these sizzling hot romantic comedies. Ten authors have come together to bring you ten brand new steamy romances taking place at tropical resorts. These stories are hotter than the sun in summer!

Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise features stories from Lilly Avalon, Mia Sands, Brandy Munroe, Emmy Dee, Wysteria Reed, Elle Lee, Krys Rayne, M. Calder, Bethany Shaw, and Liz Alden.

Get your free copy here!

Also check out the giveaway here!


2022: Halfway Through the Year Check In!

Friday, July 1, 2022 No comments

Hello, lovelies!

I hope the first half of 2022 has treated you well. Mine has been a rollercoaster to be completely honest. Today I'll be talking about how 2022 has been so far and how the rest of the year will be.

The First Half

I spent a portion of it putting together a multi-author anthology. The purpose of the anthology is for a bunch of steamy romance authors to write stories that take place at a tropical resort. It's been fun working together on this project as well as writing for it. My story, Somebody to Treasure, will be featured in the anthology. It's a friends-to-lovers/celebrity romance. This anthology is coming out in August, but I finally finished edits and got it mostly ready yesterday.

On June 21st, I contracted COVID. This sort of put a wrench in a lot of plans for the remainder of the year as it set me back by weeks. This leads me to...


The Second Half

The Sizzling Summer Nights in Paradise anthology is still releasing on August 1st and will feature Somebody to Treasure by me along with several other tropical resort stories by other authors. When the anthology comes down I plan on putting STT up on retailers. STT is going to be the first book in a series of celebrity romances.

The second book in the series, Somebody to Adore, was going to be published in November. Unfortunately, due to COVID, a lot of my plans for the year have been pushed back. My new goal for the book is to release it in December instead. There was also going to be a third book in the series in January/February, but I'm pushing that back to March.

I'm still currently playing catch-up on my online work and chores around the apartment. While I am no longer sick, I'm still having trouble remaining focused and struggling with periodic fatigue. I'm crossing my fingers that these lingering issues will go away or at the very least become more manageable, but in the meantime, I have to make adjustments for the sake of my sanity.


Thanks for understanding and for reading this post!


Launching a New Patreon!

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 No comments

Hello lovelies!

After giving it some thought, I decided to reopen my Patreon. Now that I'm in the process of upping my game a bit, I want to have a place that readers can go for inside info, early reveals, and other fun bonuses. In this blog post, I'm going to give you a breakdown of this new venture.

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While you can read the basics of each tier on my Patreon profile, I thought I'd take a moment to go over everything and provide some extra details about each so you can see exactly what you could get.


Tier One ($1 per month):
  • Patron-Only Posts
  • General Updates
  • My Eternal Gratitude

If you become a patron at Tier One, I'll fill you in on all important updates regarding my books: cover/blurb/release date reveals, sharing releases when they go live, sharing any book sales, and any special announcements.


Tier Two ($3 per month):
  • Everything from Tier One
  • Early Cover Reveals
  • Early Excerpts
  • Monthly Updates
  • An Ebook of Each New Self-Published Release

If you become a patron at Tier Two, I'll share a couple of things with you before anyone on social media sees it: covers and excerpts of upcoming books. I'll also provide you with a monthly update on my writing. And I'll give you an ebook (epub/mobi only) of every new book I self-publish.


Tier Three ($5 per month):
  • Everything from Tiers One and Two
  • First Chapter Reveal (1-2 weeks before release)
  • Other Sneak Peeks and Behind-the-Scenes Information
  • Christmas and Birthday Card from me (If you don't celebrate, they can be Just Because cards instead)

If you become a patron at Tier Three, I'll share the first chapter with you before I post it on my blog. I'll also share both little tidbits while I'm writing as well as inside info. You'll also get the chance to receive both a Christmas and Birthday card from me. If you don't celebrate, they can be Just Because cards instead.


Tier Four ($10 per month):
  • Everything from Tiers One, Two, and Three
  • Monthly Q&A to Ask Me Anything
  • Random Photos and Stories About My Life
  • Quarterly Snail Mail (which can feature handwritten cards, small notes, stickers, and/or swag of my own books)

If you become a patron at Tier Four, I'll have a monthly Q&A sesh where you'll be able to ask me anything. I'll also share non-writing stuff (like hobbies) from my own life in the form of photos and stories. And finally, you'll get snail mail from me four times a year (January, April, July, and October) that can have all sorts of fun goodies (this is on top of the 2 cards you receive from Tier Three).

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I'm super excited to be on this little side journey again and I hope to see you there! Even if you're currently unable to pay for a membership, please feel free to follow me. There will be a handful of posts that will be made available to the public.


Thanks for reading and talk to you more soon!

Happy New Year from Lilly Avalon

Saturday, January 1, 2022 No comments

Happy New Year, lovelies!

I hope 2022 is off to a good start for you. I'll probably be spending today mostly relaxing while simultaneously getting excited to get a jump start on my goals for 2022. Yesterday I discussed what my goals were for 2021 and what I had accomplished. Today, I'm talking all about the plans for the new year!

Back in November, I "participated" in NaNoWriMo. And by "participated" I mean that I wrote more than I had in months. I started writing portions of three different stories, whichever one was tickling my fancy at the time. It felt nice to simply WRITE again after being on hiatus for so long.

Of the stories I began last year, two of them are novellas I would like to publish this year. I've made some headway on them both by the end of 2021, so I have a good feeling that I'll be able to share them with you before the end of the year.

I'm also going to be participating in a very special project that will be starting up sometime this summer. It's still in the beginning stages, so I can't divulge too much of it just yet, but this project will lead to me having at least one more story for you (maybe two). Don't worry, I'll share ALL THE DETAILS of it with you as soon as they're available.

I don't want to hold too high of expectations with myself, but I do want you to know that there will be something new from me in 2022. Follow me on social media for updates and also be sure to come back to the blog for announcements in the future!

Wishing you all a wonderful new year!