Tag: Latrivia S. Nelson

100 Copies of The Grunt for Wounded Warriors by Latrivia S. Nelson

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You all know how I love the military.  My husband’s service to the Corps is something that we are very proud of.  So in celebration of Memorial Day this year we are going to give away 100 copies of The Grunt to various Wounded Warriors around the country.  Now, I know that there are vets everywhere and many are not housed at the bases.

I’m reaching out to you to ask that if you know of vets who love to read, please send me their information so that we can get them a copy in the mail or on their e-readers.  I plan to match the paperbacks with PDF copies and purchase copies for people online.

We’re currently looking into Gift Certificates for the Kindle and Nook or ways to charge copies on a company account for readers.  We have done this in the past very successfully and we want this drive to be awesome.

The Grunt is something that both men and women can read and it’s been received very well worldwide.  Let’s use this opportunity to share the book with those who have sacrificed so much.  Please send an email to Latrivia@LatriviaNelson.com with the title “100 Wounded Warriors”.

Thanks again,

Latrivia

Game of Thrones: Season Two

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My husband has accused me since I was young girl wearing pig tails of being pleased far too easily.  In all these years, I haven’t grown out of that.  It’s Sunday and I’m starting to really feel like myself again.  After a long writing session, everything seems to be drained out of me.  This last time was no different.  So, I spent days in the bed just sleeping and eating.  Tonight, I plan to do two things.  (1) Go and see a very close friend of mine and catch up on all that I’ve missed in his life since we’ve been busy, (2) Watch Game of Thrones with Adam.  You would think that I’d be happier about one than the other, but in truth, I’m bubbling over to see the second season of my newest favorite show.  I plan to be home by eight no matter what.  I have so many questions.  What is going to happen to everyone?  I hope that the dragons do battle and that little king gets all that is coming to him. What I really want to know is what is the winter going to bring?  If they have dragons, then they must have other monsters.  I really don’t recall when I’ve enjoyed fantasy writing so much.  I feel like a little kid, all giddy about the television.

I guess the point is that life has some awesome little pleasures that make it worth living.  And that has never been lost on me.  I guess I’m lucky.

Tri-State Defender Does Great Story on Latrivia S. Nelson

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It’s always awesome to be highlighted at home. The Tri-State Defender did an excellent story on me. I just wanted to share it with you.  Thanks so much to the TSD for this.

http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/7411/1/Author-helps-power-explosion-of-interracial-romance-novels/Page1.html

 

Author helps power explosion of interracial romance novels
By Tri-State Defender Newsroom | Published  Yesterday | Arts & Leisure | Rating:
Making love a black and white issue
Special to the Tri-State Defender
Native Memphian Latrivia S. Nelson sat down in front of her computer in 2008 and wrote her first novel, “Ivy’s Twisted Vine.”

Latrivia S. Nelson writes interracial romance novels that “women from all walks of life can identify with and enjoy.” (Courtesy photo)

Today, “Ivy’s Twisted Vine” is recognized as the largest interracial romance novel in the black woman/white man (bw/wm) genre to date, with many readers referring to it as the “bible of IR.”
“I write interracial romance novels that women from all walks of life can identify with and enjoy,” said Nelson. “The heroines are strong, beautiful, curvaceous and smart. They know what they want out of life, and they go for it. What man, black or white, wouldn’t want them?”
Sales didn’t soar with her first book, but her dreams did. Since then, Nelson’s following has gone from 500 readers to over 50,000. She has fans in over 38 countries and across the U.S. In 2011, she wrote the number one bestselling novel on Amazon’s Multicultural bestseller’s list, “The Grunt,” from her Lonely Heart Series and stayed on the list for over four months. During that time, she also had a second book on the top twenty list for multicultural romance, “The Ugly Girlfriend” (2011).
Nelson’s love for books surfaced as a child. She wrote stories and regularly recited them to her families. In high school, she once sought her mother’s “true feedback” about one of her books by telling her mother that she’d copied pages from a reference book for a class project.
At The LeMoyne-Owen College, Nelson’s alma mater, she wrote for the “Magician” newspaper. She also served as vice president of the Student Government Association and as president of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., before she went on to be Ms. LeMoyne-Owen College in 2001 and graduate with honors in 2003. Later, she received her MBA from Strayer University.
With a long history in public relations and development, she has worked for nationally recognized companies such as The Carter Malone Group and Trust Marketing, and for the non-profits ALSAC/ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The Memphis Redbirds and the National Civil Rights Museum. And while she was afforded the opportunity to write, her passion was unfulfilled.
Trace Nelson’s inspiration for interracial romance and it leads to family roots.
“As one half of an interracial marriage, I wanted to dispel certain myths and give women and men in those types of relationships something to read that positively highlighted them,” she said.
Nelson married Adam Nelson, a decorated United States Marine in 2005, and the couple has two children.
Highlighted in hundreds of reviews and interviews, Nelson visits readers in myriad places throughout the nation. Her last stop was at the “Beautiful Trouble Eat and Greet” in Winston-Salem, N.Car., and her next appearance will be at the Romance Slam Jam in Little Rock, Ark., where she will be a guest speaker on the interracial romance genre.
“I surround myself with positive people. New York Times bestselling author, Brenda Jackson, is a dear friend of mine, and I look up to her and what she has done for the romance genre as a whole,” said Nelson. “On the home front, I have mentors like Beverly Robertson and Deidre Malone, who have groomed me for years. These women have also taught me to be vigilant in my desire to be the best and do the best that I can.”
In the last four years, Nelson has written 12 novels and novelettes. Five of those titles have been national bestsellers. From the popular romantic suspense series, “The Medlov Crime Family,” her next book will be out on March 28, 2011, entitled “Saving Anya.”
Nelson has ensured a way to get her work out to the world as well as help other aspiring authors. She founded RiverHouse Publishing in 2010 and has offices in the Clarke Tower in Memphis and on Broad in Manhattan, NYC.
“I wanted to give bold authors a chance to let their voices be heard on their own terms,” Nelson said about her publishing company.
And she’s done just that with five authors signed to RiverHouse Publishing, LLC and five new authors set to be introduced this year.
(For more information on Latrivia S. Nelson, visit http://www.latrivianelson.info or http://www.riverhousepublishingllc.com. You can also reach her at 901-322-6191.)

 

Saving Anya Release Date Changed

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First of all, thanks for the thousands of email and well wishes for the family.  I truly appreciate it during this time.  Of course, Iraq is the gift that keeps on giving for many military families and mine is no different.  However, Adam is doing much better and we hope to resolve his issues in the New Year.  As a wife and mother, I had to re-arrange my priorities, and even though the book was so close to release, I had to pull it as well as The World In Reverse. 

It was my hope to release them during the Christmas Break.  However, now I am at least two weeks off the mark.  The books will be released in late January or early February.  I refuse to give another date just to disappoint my wonderful fans. 

I love you dearly and I hope that you can forgive me for the tardiness of these two very important projects.

This week, I plan to upload the first chapter of Saving Anya to the blog for your reading pleasure, also in interim I will post some new discussions so that we can keep in touch. 

It truly is an honor to have you as fans.  I have 3,456 emails from readers about the new books.  I plan to respond to each and every one, but it will take time.  However, I don’t want you to think at any time that you aren’t appreciated, because you truly are. 

While Saving Anya will be the last book of The Medlov Series, it won’t be the last book about the Medlov clan.  The next installment (Volume 5-7 will be released in Winter 2012) and the new Medlov Legacy series will be released in late 2012, detailing the early adult lives of all of your favorite characters’ children. 

One thing at time, I know.  I’m working on getting these new books to you in e-book, Kindle, Nook and paperback format.  Also, don’t forget that we now use PayLoadz for all of our e-books to ensure that you receive your immediately.  I’ve listened to your suggestions and RiverHouse searched high and low to find a service that will accommodate you.  I hope that PayLoadz delivers for us all.  We’ve even set up a survey to track your thoughts on the new service.  After all, it is for you.

Well, that’s all for now.  Thanks again for everything. 

Sincerely,

Trivi

A Friend Lost to Cancer – Xavier Dolino Will Be Missed

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He spoke three languages fluently: French, Italian and English.  Educated in Europe and the States, he had a way with people.  Everyone loved him, adored his smile and laughter, appreciated his knowledge.  On top of being brilliant, he was beautiful.  Hair as black as midnight, deep set brown eyes and a pensive, serious stare, analyzing the world and all in it.  Xavier Dolino was a wonderful man.  Before finding my soul mate, Adam, Xavier was my boyfriend.  But more than that he was my friend. 

And as far as an inspiration, he inspired thousands and the co-founder of Hour of Power and an international health guru.

His friends in Dublin, Ireland knew him for his serious workout sessions at his studio and his rock hard abs cut to perfection.  I knew him as something graceful and charismatic.  A man that I could talk to about just about anything and often did.  We would spend hours on the phone talking.  The cell phone bills were ungodly. 

I can’t believe that he is gone.  Just a year ago, we were talking about his last trip to Italy to live off the land and ride bikes through the countryside.  Two years ago he was at the Arnold Classic defying physics with his intense workout regiments.  Even though I had moved on with my life and he had moved on with his, we were still dear friends, because we had never crossed each other or done anything wrong to each other.  We simply were at different points in our lives. 

Then there was Baby Joe.  The best Boxer in all the world.  He was man’s best friend, especially Xavier’s.  I remember once he sent me a picture of Baby Joe in a Bruno lime green outfit.  I had had a horrible week and needed cheering up.  Xavier knew just the trick.  I opened my email and laughed for days. I still thank him for that. 

Both French and Italian,  he had a wonderful way of seeing the world.  We often talked of his time in Florida while studying abroad and how those had been some of his most exciting memories as a young man.  I used to try out my French on him, holding long conversations butchering his native tongue, but he was kind.  He would indulge me and only correct me afterwards, always starting off the conversation with “you are magnificent, but you messed up a few words, love.”  Then he would say it the right way and it always sounded better coming from his mouth.  We did the same in Italian.  Often, when I would get really excited about something, I would speak to him in Italian and French at the same time.  He would laugh, but he always understood me.  I gave a new meaning to bilingual. 

When my husband was ill a few years ago, he would send words of encouragement.  He would share personal things with me to give me hope.  I never once heard him speak a negative word…not in all the years I knew him. Not one negative word about anyone or anything, even when he got sick last year. 

His friends held him in the highest regard.  Gordon was one of his best friends.  How he loved Gordon.  But he always spoke of all his friends in the highest regard, like he was surrounded by royalty.  He had a way with making everyone feel special.  His team of guys was his second family.  He would always send me pictures of them – a group of happy fellows and women who were always striving for a more healthy world.  The last time I spoke with him, he was training for a 2011 event where he was working out like crazy.  He reminded me of Adam in that way.  I guess that I’ve always loved athletes, people willing to take their bodies to the next level through mind over muscle. 

I miss him as I’m sure that everyone does, especially his dear brother, Daniel, his parents and his friends back home in Ireland.  He would always come to the states for the Arnold Classic.  I’ll miss hearing about his trips and hearing about his dreams.  But I’m glad to have known him.  I wouldn’t give that time up for anything. 

He was the kind of guy that would make a beautiful leading role in one of my romance novels…the kind of guy that you fall head over heels in love with after a few pages.  I’m sure in the future, I’ll try to make a story around him, though I’m sure it will never capture all of his beautiful essence.  It will have to be my way of memorializing him. 

I’m sure that hundreds of thousands of people have stories like mine.  They have friends, family, loved ones who have been taken away by cancer.  And just like Xavier, they had a story that shouldn’t have ended so soon. 

As I write this with tears, I know in my heart that we must continue to fund cancer research.  We must find a cure.  We have lost too many already. 

I worked for AlSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a while in college.  As an intern there, I developed and implemented Stepping for A Cure, a program that reached out to HBCUs nationwide and encouraged Greek organizations to coordinate step shows that would benefit sickle cell research as well as other catastrophic diseases.  My boss, Chuck Donlin, was the kind of man who supported a good thing.  He pushed me to make it happen and the Memphis Police Department and local alumni chapters of all the Divine Nine were there to support me.  It was a marvelous event, but it was the purpose that really pushed me to see it through.  It was about saving lives…saving people through working together. 

Shortly after taking the job, I lost a friend from high school, Matt (my first kiss) who passed away and was buried on September 11th.  I never made it to his funeral, but I remember feeling so sad when I heard that he had passed.  A friend came by my mom’s house and told me.  I grew up with him from fourth grade until graduation.  On my first day at a new school, Matt became my first friend.  He gave me a kiss under the tires on the playground.  He never got the chance to graduate from college, marry, have children.  He too was taken from the world too early.  There were many others.  My own grandmother (paternally) fights the disease every day. 

Cancer does not discriminate.  It’s a tool of the devil to rob, kill and destroy.  But I know that Jesus came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  Through him there has to be a cure…an answer.

I pray for Xavier’s family and every family like his. I pray for my own family.  And I still appreciate that God allowed these people to have lived and to have touched as many lives as they did. 

I took this from another close friend’s blog.  He said, ”

It is his mentor and close friend Dragan Radovic, who today has invited everyone who knew Xavier (or would simply like to honour him) to perform 100 continuous lifts of any dumbbell. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing today – to take 5minutes from your schedule to do these 100 lifts. To take a minute’s silence to remember the man…then take 5minutes of physical action to honour what the man stood for.  It is absolutely what he would have wanted.”

I got to 50, Xavier.  You know me…

I’ll miss you, Xavier. 

Here are some links of him doing his thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3G8jcatqnc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JF6xuchrOA&feature=related

XoXo and all that jazz,

Latrivia S. Nelson

Awesome Interview with the Legendary Koko Brown for The Grunt

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This truly has been a crazy week.  We’re currently working on the foundation for our new imprint, Taboo, a project that will launch in the summer of 2012 for Interracial Romance Readers globally.  I’ve been writing up a storm on The Chronicles of Young Dmitry Medlov: Volume 4, The World in Reverse and Saving Anya.  Plus, I have completed seven book club meetings and it’s only Tuesday.  However, I’m doing what I love, and because of that I know that I’m blessed.

Koko Brown really made my week with the latest review of The Grunt.  Words cannot express how proud I was to read this. I woke Adam up from his nap and made him read it twice.  Even he had to smile, and those who know Adam know how hard it is to make him smile.

So, I want to share this review with you.  Here’s the link.  Please check it out.  Respond.  Tell her what you think and share it with others. 

Link: http://kokobrown.net/2011/09/whos-in-the-hot-seat-author-latrivia-nelson.html

Thanks so much to all the reviewers who have taken the time to write a review about The Grunt and thanks so much to all the readers who have read the book.  Thanks to Koko for making my week go a little smoother. 

Hope all is well.

XoXo and all that jazz,

Latrivia S. Nelson (one happy woman)

The Grunt Looks Great in Paperback!!! And it’s only $8 on My Site!!!

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Today, I received the proof copy of The Grunt in paperback.  When it was delivered, I was expecting another book from another author, but when I opened the box and realized that it was my book, I freaked out!  I can’t wait for you guys to get it in your hands.  I went for a matte finish this time, and Kandace Tuggle, my partner in crime and my exclusive and very awesome book designer, did an excellent job of putting my concept together with her own.  The book is only $9.99 retail, only $7.99 on my site, and is now available for pre-order. 

It will be available for sale on September 1st.  Can you say awesome?  In a few days, I’ll get The Ugly Girlfriend in print also.  The retail price for it is $9.99, but a reader brought up a very important point.  She said that she had already purchased the e-book and wanted the paperback for her collection.  So, she wanted to know if my readers who ordered from my site could get a discount.  Makes a lot of sense, right? 

So, I’m adjusting my prices.  The Grunt will be available on my site for $7.99 and The Ugly Girlfriend will be available on my site for $6.50.  And Finding Opa!  will be available for $6.99.  Don’t forget shipping and handling.   If you purchase on the .info site, you have to add shipping and handling. 

Essentially, you can get The Lonely Heart Paperback Pack with all three books for only $19.99.  You’re saving over $5 on my site for all three books versus other sites, plus you get an autograph (not that it’s worth muchJ, but I think it’s sort of cool).

I realize that many of you have already read the book, and I thank you so much for your support, but if you want to share the book with a friend or family member, with a mom, sister or best friend, then please consider gifting it.  I know that I plan to.  My mother-in-law and mom do not do the e-book thing, so they always wait for it to come out in paperback so that they can enjoy it with the rest of us. 

I just can’t express how happy I am right now.  I love the tangible product.  I’ll probably spend the rest of the evening just staring at it.  Then, I have to get back to typing.  I’m working hard on V4.  It has to be short, cover a lot of different subject matter and move Dmitry to the next level.  Talk about a day!

A side note.  The other night, I sent out a blog entry where I just vented up a storm.  However, there was one great thing that came out of that.  I had a chance to hear from you.  You shared how much you appreciate my support, you made me remember who I am, and whose I am, and you made me feel special.

Now, this wasn’t an attempt to get attention, and I don’t want you to ever think that I would stoop to doing something like that.  It was a genuine cross roads for me that I had an opportunity to share with you.  And words cannot express how you guys have made me feel.

As a full-time author now, I have so much joy.  I get to entertain you guys for a living, and it’s amazing.  How many of us have shared private conversations?  How many of us have spent half the night responding to emails?  The relationships that have been established through these stories are priceless.  And I need to remember that instead of letting people get under my skin. 

So, let’s celebrate! Pre-order your books today, and let’s get ready for a global conference call soon on The Grunt.  I’m thinking that we should do it in September.  We haven’t done it in a while, but it’s long overdue.

Anyway, I’m done ranting…until tomorrow.

XoXo and all that jazz,

Latrivia

This Is Where I Draw The Freaking Line!

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I just received the longest email known to man about how horrid my book was (Dmitry’s Closet).  Unfortunately, I had to delete the post.  Why?   It was so long and such a drag until I refused to let it stay up. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m used to getting the occasional email about my work.  And I normally take it in stride.  Countless readers have given me constructive criticism, offered their services and tried their best to help me.  I appreciate them, and I understand their purpose and points.  Some of their words have helped me A LOT.

But when someone sends me a three page letter on why they hated my stuff, I have to draw the line.  First of all, who has that type of time if they have a life?  Now, I did read the blog response. And I know a lot of authors who wouldn’t  have taken the time.  So, at least!!!

Anyway, you guys are my friends and my fans.  So tell me if I’m wrong. I’ll believe you.  But I just can’t take it anymore. Maybe it’s because I’m on my cycle and I am irritable, but maybe there is certain thing called “tact.”  And this email didn’t really have much of it.

If this reader felt so compelled to share her response with just me, then why didn’t she just send me an email?  I post my email everywhere.  Latrivia@LatriviaNelson.com.  And all of you know that I get 100 emails a day. Not all of them are nice, but I take time and I respond.  It’s important to them.  It’s important to me.  And it’s part of being a published author. Not everyone is going to like you.  I get it. I do. 

Instead of sending an email, however, she blasts me on my own blog and expects a nice response.  WTF!!!  That, my friends, is bullshit. And I am tired of always being nice.  You don’t come to someone’s house, fart in their living room and call it air freshener. And you don’t go to someone’s blog, basically tell them to quit their day job and call it constructive criticism.  Kiss my ass.

I print out every email.  Good and bad.  I look over them. Study them.  I outline the points that they make, use them to make my work better.  But I’m still a person with feelings.  I know (whine, whine) but I am a person, and I take my work seriously.  If I don’t defend it, who will? 

I spend countless hours away from my family, friends and life, doing what I consider to be the best job in the world.  I’m going to have feelings about it.

It’s not easy going after your dreams.  And often, your first, second and even third try can be semi unsuccessful, but I’m proud of the Medlov series.  It’s successful to me.  We have sold over 25,000 copies. I’ve made wonderful friendships as a result, and I’ve faced my fears.  That is so important to me. 

Now, there are things that I’m getting better at…like the copyediting element.  And now, I have Karen, and she is awesome.  She’s helping me fix things.  We’re going back and fixing the grammatical errors that made me a leper in the IR genre.  But at least, I’m in the genre.  At least, I’m giving it all that I have.  At least, I’m living my dream. 

When I first started out, I thought, I’ll just wait until everything is perfect.  But after Adam nearly died, I realized that no one is promised tomorrow.  I looked at him lying in the hospital bed and knew that there is no perfect time.  There is only right now.  Trust people. This is truth.  Don’t let fear steal your dreams from you.  Fight for them with everything that you have inside of you. 

So, I went balls to the wall, and I did it.  RiverHouse was born out of a need to share my voice and my thoughts with the world.  As imperfect as my books  may be, I still did it.  I put it out there, paid a horrid copyeditor, and I published my first book.  Now, I’m on my tenth.  If I should die tomorrow, then at least I will have accomplished something on my list that means so very much to me.  How many people can say that? 

I used to think that I had to take the “stuff” that people put out there about me.  But one day I looked in the mirror and realized that I don’t have to take it, and I won’t anymore.

You know what really irks me?  There are some people out there who hide behind their computers, behind these made up names, and these computer-generated photos.  They blast authors, singers, anyone who is trying to express themselves, and they do it anonymously so that they don’t have to face public humiliation after they purposely and maliciously humiliate you. 

They pick people apart.  They accuse you of having your friends and family post reviews just because they don’t like your book and couldn’t imagine that anyone else would.  In essence, they call you a freak fraud. 

They stomp on your dreams and your aspirations. 

They hope that you’ll quit, give up. 

Their entire purpose in life is to embarrass you!  But they have never penned a thing, published a thing, had one creative thought in their entire life that they followed through with. 

And authors like myself, who put their real picture and name up or authors who use pens names but put their real feelings and dreams into print are forced to deal with what they have said.  And we don’t get to do it anonymously.  We have to face the humiliation just as we are. 

They hide behind emails and computers.  We face the world.  Who is really coward? 

They go online and posts under several names and give horrid reviews.  And they don’t buy just one book. It’s like they can’t wait for you to release something else so that they can attack that too. 

Why?  I don’t know.  They do it though.   And then they curl up in their beds ALONE and sleep all night with a smirky little grin on their faces, because it makes them happy to tear you and your dreams apart.  What a trip!!!!

Well, I don’t have to take it.  I won’t take it anymore. 

There are going to be bad reviews.  And women and men who spend their money and their time deserve and opportunity to share their opinions.  I believe that. And I honor that.  I want to hear from them.  I want to be better for them and all my readers.

But I deserve the right to defend myself as well from that “other” type of reviewer – the one who wished that they could have done something else but didn’t, the one who never found the perfect opportunity so she just gave up and spent her entire life being bitter and attacking others. 

As an Interracial Romance Author, I get 10-20 emails a week from hate mongers who tell me that I’m not even human and have no right to write about a black woman and white man marrying each other.  I have to hear that my children are an abomination and that I don’t have a soul and should be back on a freaking plantation.  It’s hard enough to try to deal with those idiots. 

But on top of that, I get letters from sisters who would rather see me flipping burgers at a restaurant than pursuing my dreams.  I’ve already given the finger to the bigots of the world.  It looks like I’m going to use the other hand to give the finger to you too.

Fifty years from now, if God Almighty sees fit to still bless me with breath in my lungs, I’ll still be writing. I won’t ever quit.  So stop sending me emails and asking me to.  You’re wasting your time and more than that you’re pissing me off.

Do me a favor.  If you are only interested in attacking me, then don’t buy my books.  This is for the entertainment of people who want to do more than tear others down.  I want to hear from them.  I want their criticism, their support – not yours!!!

“Like” The Lonely Heart Series Facebook Page Today!!!!

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lonely-Heart-Series-by-Latrivia-S-Nelson/178658528870198?ref=ts#!/pages/The-Lonely-Heart-Series-by-Latrivia-S-Nelson/178658528870198?sk=wall

The world has gone global and so has The Lonely Heart Series.  To keep people abreast of what is going on no matter where they are in the world and what their favorite mode of social media is, we have expanded our brand to include Facebook.  So now, you can Like The Lonely Heart Series Facebook Page, share your thoughts and keep up with when new books are dropping.

FYI.  All three books are now available for pre-sale in The Lonely Heart Series, including The Ugly Girlfriend, Finding Opa! and The Grunt.

This page was recommended by several devoted readers, and I’m happy to have received your suggestions.  Keep them coming and thanks so much.

Latrivia