Author Archives: Traci Hall

Hello readers!

Today I am writing to you on a new laptop because last week my old faithful, after nine years, crashed. I blamed the whole mercury retrograde thing, but also acknowledge that hey, my laptop was almost a decade old.

So. My tie to my Lenovo was emotional. It was the first laptop that I bought with royalties from my writing. It came with me through my divorce. Since 2012, it had all of my stories on it. I’ve written quite a few stories, and edited even more for clients. My Lenovo was pure magic.

I cried when it died.

And then? I knew that my next laptop had to be a Lenovo. Christopher and I did research on one that might work that I didn’t have to wait around for and it turns out that Costco had a wide selection of them. Next—what did I want? I had to accept that I could never replicate the same laptop. Change is inevitable. But what about my romance with my computer?? Inhale, exhale. OM. I did a lot of OMing.

Now a week later, I love my new Lenovo! The keyboard has all of its letters, it still has spring in the buttons, and it is very fast. I’ve started a brand-new series proposal on it and I feel good–as if there might just be magic in this one too.

I don’t think of myself as a brand name person but in this case, I will continue to buy Lenovo. Is there something that YOU only buy by brand? Tell me in the comments below!

I think if you are here reading, you are an Authors’ Billboard fan because you know that you will get a great value—lots of romance for an amazing price! The latest boxed set that I was in is Unforgettable Lovers. There are so many stellar stories in this lovely set. Unforgettable Lovers: Unforgettable Promises (The Unforgettables Book 22) – Kindle edition by Barbour, Mimi, Eaton, Stacy, Ann, Natalie, Banks, Leanne, Risk, Mona, York, Rebecca, Matthews, Susanne, Lee, Taylor, Hall, Traci. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Don’t forget to enter our contest, and best of luck to you!

Traci

Traci Hall

With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it’s a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.

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Also, three things romance and cozy mystery have in common!

I love May…it’s spring, and sunny, and there are flowers everywhere and it’s Mother’s Day, and it’s my birthday, and this May is especially nice because I also got engaged <3

The cherry on top of it all is that Murder in a Scottish Garden will be available on May 25—right now, the first book, Murder in a Scottish Shire, is available for only 99 cents through the weekend. Yippee—just before the next book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W8X5K6V

You might wonder how a romance author segued into also writing cozy mysteries, but I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch. Stories are about characters that we care about, and if we do our job as an author right, then you, the reader, will care too 😊

Here are three things a romance and a cozy mystery have in common:

1. Compelling characters—in a cozy mystery, this is often an amateur sleuth. We see the world and then something happens that forces a change out of the ordinary. In romance, the heroine and hero are usually at a point of change so that they are ready to fall in love, where they weren’t ready before. In both genres, we need to be emotionally connected so that we care about them and want to read to the end.

2. An exciting plot to drive the story forward—exchange sex and romance for solving a murder. Both things are very exhilarating, lol. The adrenaline from a first kiss, or that special touch, becomes danger from outrunning the bad guy before getting killed.

3.  Most important: they both have a happy ever after. You must conclude the mystery or your readers won’t be satisfied. In a romance, our readers expect a happy for now ending. In both genres, the author must make sure to meet reader expectation. I feel like I could go on with this, but I’ll stop for now lol.

Tell me—do you read only one genre, or do you read everything? I love fiction of all kinds.

Be sure to enter our monthly contest below, and good luck! Don’t forget to grab a few of our boxed sets—they are a steal at less than a dollar for multiple stories to fill your kindle.

I am in Unforgettable Lovers, Unforgettable Promises if you’d like to check it out here:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Traci

Traci Hall

With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it’s a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.

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Happy spring. What’s on my mind, you ask? Vaccine, or not to vaccine…I’ve decided yes for the Covid shot—because I want to travel and be safe. I want to eat in restaurants, and have an in-person book signing. I want to go to Greece in October. I want to go about my day without fear of catching the virus or passing the virus unknowingly to someone I love.

Before this, I wasn’t one to get the flu shot, or the shingles shot. When I told my doctor I wasn’t interested she kind of snorted (politely behind her mask) and said, it’s a precaution! Why not? I didn’t have a good answer. Why put something in your body that you don’t need, was my philosophy. I’ll be doing some research on the shingles shot but I just might change my mind. Modern medicine is pretty darn fabulous. I am so grateful for my health! 😊 I want to be outside with blue skies, bright flowers, and fresh air. I hope that by this time next year, masks will be a distant memory.

On another note: I’ve been reading more than in previous years, taking time to escape. It’s why we writers do what we do! I’ve discovered Charlaine Harris’s Gunnie Rose series on audible and I love it. What new authors or series have you found? I always recommend our Authors’ Billboard boxed sets as incredible ways to find new stories and new authors at a steal of a price!

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest—good luck, and wishing you all great things!

Traci

Traci Hall

With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it’s a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.

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Last year at this time, we were all in shock over Covid 19 and lock down and other scary words like pandemic. Virus. Facemasks. Hand sanitizer. Wash, or risk death.

Now we are hearing hopeful things like vaccination, and lifted restrictions! It makes my heart lighter too, knowing that by May or June, most Americans will have access to being vaccinated if they choose. While being homebound didn’t change my life that much, what I miss is visiting family. I miss my friends. I miss HUGS.

I think we should all go in a hug frenzy—total strangers? Hug. Friends and loved ones—long hugs, to commit that person to memory. Just in case.

What this experience has driven home for me is that life is short. There are things that we can do as precautions (wash, sanitize, six feet separation etc) but being afraid all of the time isn’t mentally healthy.

Christopher and I are lucky to live in South Florida where the weather allows us to be outside practically every day. That saved our outlook in a big way at the beginning of all of this, until we figured out how to see family that needs us. We have a very small pod but that’s okay. My mother lives in Washington state with snow and cold weather but she would still dress for outdoors a few times a week to get that fresh air. I think we’ve all found ways to adapt. I am a Pollyanna by nature and hope for a better day gets me through darker times.

What strengths have you found during this last year? What is your hope for the future?

It’s why I love reading and writing romance. The characters hope and try and fail yet discover a way to overcome obstacles for their happily ever after. <3

Don’t forget to enter the monthly contest here at Authors’ Billboard! There are so many wonderful books and stories for under a dollar to guarantee a happy escape 😊

Traci Hall

With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it’s a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.

tracihall.com%20