RONE Nomination for DIAMOND IN THE DUST

I am beyond excited that the third book in the Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series, Diamond in the Dust, is nominated for a RONE award this year. 


RONE stands for Reward of Novel Excellence, and is a leading award given to Independently published books by IND'TALE Magazine. In order to be eligible for nomination, a book must have received a 4 star or higher rating by the professional reviewers of the magazine. A 4.5 review or higher is called a Crowned Heart Review. Diamond in the Dust received a 4.5 star review in March of 2015. 

IND'TALE is one of the leading publications in the Indie Publishing Industry, and getting a 4 star review from them is in itself a great achievement. Being nominated for a RONE is like being nominated for an Oscar, at least that's how I see it. 

I sort of chuckled when I saw that my book was one of the nominees in Time Travel Romance. It's the book I balked at writing, because I didn't want to write something in a mostly contemporary setting, and I had no idea how readers were going to react to the hero. Gabe McFarlain was the "bad guy" in the previous Second Chances book, and I had to turn him into a likable, hero-worthy character in his own book. I'm glad my readers kept pestering me to write his story. I loved the story when it was all finished. 

I then submitted the book for review with IND'TALE on a spurt-of-the-moment whim. I hadn't submitted the second book, Ain't No Angel, for review, but Book 1, Come Home to Me, also received a 4.5 review from them in 2013 (for some weird rule about the date when I submitted the book, it wasn't eligible for the RONE that year)

Now that Diamond in the Dust has been nominated, the second phase is readers vote on the books to see who makes it to the finals. The finalists in each category are then judged by industry professionals.

Personally, I don't enter contests, because they usually always boil down to who is the most social media savvy at getting votes. I like the fact that this isn't a contest that one can "buy their way" into, but a book had to be reviewed highly to qualify. The second phase, qualifying for the finalists,  is up to readers.  I'm not savvy on social media, and I'm not comfortable chanting "vote for me," but I'll give it my best shot, because I truly believe in my book, and it would be a great honor to make it to the finals.

I want to extend a huge congratulations to the other nominees in my category, Time Travel Romance, and the best of luck to all of us!

Voting for Time Travel Romance begins April 13 - 19, and the link to vote is right HERE. So now I'm asking you all to go out and vote for your favorite. If you've read Diamond in the Dust, I hope you'll support me and vote for the book. 

~Peggy

Yellowstone Heart Song receives 5star Crowned Heart Review

I just found out that Yellowstone Heart Song received a 5 star review from InD'Tale Magazine in November! 
I am shaking, in utter disbelief, and absolutely stunned! I know this may seem like such a small milestone for some, but this was my debut novel, a book I had to be coaxed, poked and prodded time and time again by my critique partner to publish. 





Here is the full review:

Aimee Donovan is a nurse who thought she’d seen it all until she met Zach Osborne. Claiming to be a time travelling mountain man, he tempts her with a wilderness survival tip back to the year 1810 in Yellowstone. Although she doesn’t quite believe the man, she is skilled and can handle three months in the mountains. 

She is also happy to escape Brad and the engagement she calls off just prior to leaving.

After a near-death experience once she travelled back to 1810, fate steps in and she meets Daniel Osborne, Zach’s son. He rescues her in more ways than one and the cruel reality of leaving this world eats at her heart. How can she tell Daniel the truth of how she came to be here and how can she ever leave him?

Yellowstone has always held her heart but now, in more ways than one.

The excitement and anticipation in this book is endless. The reader is left bursting to discover the next event as almost every page is turned. Vivid descriptions of Aimee’s surroundings will transport even the least imaginative back to 1810. 

Aimee is spirited and determined to succeed. Finding she has bitten off more than she can chew makes her humble and very substantive. Daniel is as manly as they come for a male character set in a wilderness environment. His character is dark, mysterious, and courageous – cautious, but (sigh) delivering on all the readers’ expectations. Their love grows with so many heart wrenching moments that twist and tear the emotions, then leave the reader enraptured.