2012 was such an incredible year for Tears of Crimson, and I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the friends of Crimson who helped make this possible! Being able to work on my love of writing while remaining at home has been an incredible experience and I know that it would have never been possible if it wasn't for great friends like you! Over the last few months, many of you might have noticed that I haven't been available on the social media outlets as much, ie. Twitter and Facebook, and I hope you don't think I've forgotten the reason why I'm able to do what I love.
Prior to 2012, writing was a hobby and not a profession, and I'd worked my fingers to the bone to make it a career. As those who know me understand, the Tears of Crimson series was my baby, and to be honest I never thought I'd write anything but my precious vampires. All that changed when I discovered that I could step outside my comfort zone and write other types of romance, and when I made the choice to try, the muse was very excited. Since the debut of A Night at Tears of Crimson, I've written five other books and have discovered that I love writing all romance, not just paranormal.
In some ways I was saddened to discover that the mainstream romance books were able to reach a much larger audience than my paranormal series, but I've come to understand that there's just more people who read under the contemporary romance genre. With the 10 Nights books (Forbidden Desire's Series) I was lucky enough to have the right idea at the right time, and catch the wave of new erotic romance fascination. I will be forever grateful that I had the inspiration, and the help of a wonderful co-author to get that series out when I did.
What some of you may not know is that I never intended to label myself as an Erotic writer. So while I do have the third book of the Forbidden Desire series, and a new alien sci-fi erotic book to debut in 2013, I'm really excited about the release of Angela's Salvation which walks away from the Erotic somewhat, and is just a great drama filled romance that will be suitable for all levels of romance readers. If you've read my bio, you might recall that I was a country singer/songwriter for twelve years. I was afforded the opportunity to learn much about the recording industry during those years, and much of Angela's Salvation, at least as far as the music industry is concerned, comes from that knowledge.
The story line behind this book is heart wrenching, and focuses on the life of Angela Wilkerson. Some abuse survivors might have a hard time reading this one due to the past abuse the main character evolves from. Again, I've drawn on experiences from my own life, and while I've changed some elements in this book to protect those I love, it's still such a part of me that even writing it has left me in tears on more than one occasion during the process.
The story follows Angela after she auditions for a new televised talent show that has the potential to launch her into musical stardom. As a past performer myself, shows like this were ones I was involved in personally, and some of the scenes are from personal experiences as well. Trust me when I say the music industry is not all paved with golden roads.
While Angela's Salvation is a work of fiction, many of the scenarios included within are based on real life experiences. This is definitely a romance novel, but the drama, in my opinion overrides the romantic aspects. I can't wait to share this book with you, and hope that you feel the depth of emotion involved with all the characters they way I have.
The bottom line of this entire post is to let you know how much I appreciate your support over the years. When I wasn't selling a book a month, there were some incredible people that encouraged me to never give up, and picked me up more times than I can count on two hands. We all have things in our life that shape the people we become, and even as we are suffering through those heartaches, a positive can always come later from them. My writing has given me a way to finally put the past where it belongs, and accept that bad things sometimes happen to good people.
If any of you out there is still suffering because of events that happened in your life, I hope you know that you're not alone and that there is a silver lining out there waiting to appear. None of us can change what we've suffered through in this life, but we can move forward and understand that there are other people that have suffered just as greatly and managed to make it through until they were whole again. Angela's Salvation is my defining moment, even if it never sells a single copy writing this book has helped me heal. My only wish is that if you are still suffering, that you find your way of letting the past remain where it belongs, whether it be writing, drawing, or simply finding someone you can relate to that understands what you're going through.
All My Love,
Michelle Hughes
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