Friday fancies: Summer dreamin'

Plans for the idylls of summer

By A.J. Llewellyn

Aloha gang!

Well, my plans for the next few months are pretty hectic. Apart from keeping up with my own releases, I am publishing an anthology of short stories called Island Fever. I’ve roped several Hawaiian authors into participating and it’s something we’ve been working on for months.

I’m excited because so many of the stories are amazing and all of them relate to fever. I asked these writers with varying degrees of experience to think beyond COVID and come up with mysteries that have affected the Hawaiian Islands at different times. Only one of these stories deals with COVID. The rest run the gamut from smallpox (which almost decimated the Hawaiian population in 1853) to gambling, murder and murkier things in between.

I won’t say much more except I will admit a previously unpublished author submitted one of my favorite stories. But more about that at a later time!

One of my favorite cover artists, Alex Corza, did an amazing cover that I can’t stop staring at. I will be posting it soon!

On July 25, I’m re-releasing an updated and re-edited version of Twelve-Thirty, This is an erotic romance novel I loved writing and the rights reverted back to me late last year. I debated giving it to one of my publishers but decided I am a control freak so I am self-publishing it on Amazon. I adore the cover I got from Cate Ashwood. I think covers are so essential, don’t you?

Here is a synopsis of Twelve-Thirty, one of the most autobiographical novels I’ve ever written:

Australian-born Montago Melon, “Tago” to all those who know him, has lived in a fantasy world since he was a kid. His heart is in Hollywood, and his family constantly accuse him of “California Dreamin’.” When his grandma dies and leaves him money, and his long-last aunt reaches out to him from California to offer him a job, he jumps at the chance of a new life, swimming pools, and movie stars. He soon learns, however, that some dreams come with a nasty aftertaste.

I have slowly been re-releasing my Phantom Lover books. There are sixteen in all. I’ve loved working on this paranormal romance series.

Na Hiku, Book #13 was released at the end of May. Paden, #14 is next.

When all of those books are out, I’ll re-release the first two books in the spin-off series, Children of the Rainbow.

Then I’ll be writing new stories for both series—oh, and a new Mingo McCloud book – number 8 – title to be determined.

I’m also slowly finishing a werewolf saga I started with my late writing partner, D.J. Manly. Gone By Dawn even scares me as I write it so I keep the lights on – even during the day! It’s coming out this fall. I love the cover by Lex Valentine.

Thinking about writing, dreaming about your characters, plotting, writing, revising, all of it is essential. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

This summer, begin that story you’ve been wanting to write. Let go of being busy, scared, overwhelmed…whatever.

Just do it.

And write and tell me all about it!

A.J. Llewellyn

lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

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