Tag: sleeve of hearts

🎊 2025 Highlights, and 2026 Hopes 🎊

In the first Elizabeth Barone newsletter of 2026, I reflect on 2025’s hardships and highlights, and look forward to hopes for the new year.

Happy New Year, dear readers!

Every year has its challenges, losses, and wins, and 2025 was no exception. I took a huge step back from writing and marketing, not by choice but I need to focus on my physical and mental health. Quite frankly, the autoimmune neurological issues I’m dealing with are kicking my ass. I’m slowly but steadily finding my way, equipping myself with the right-for-me team of doctors, treatment regimen, and mental health tools.

2025 wasn’t entirely hardship, though! I had a few highlights.

I rewrote most of Sleeve of Hearts. The manuscript had been through a few rounds of editing and revisions and still wasn’t quite working, so I read back through the previous two drafts, kept what I loved, and cut the rest, rewriting everything in between. This book hands down has been the hardest to write between my health issues, life stuff, and a smidge of imposter syndrome. I’m really proud of myself for sticking with it, even when I wanted to—and swore to Mike that I was going to—quit. Some days I can’t even string a sentence together, the brain fog is so bad, but the beauty of writing is that thing really isn’t going anywhere (even when you kinda sorta wish it’d delete itself*).

I started doing Whatnot shows, even though I didn’t think there was anybody there shopping for books. Wrong! There’s a lovely community of readers, authors, and bookish creators there. Madd thanks to my sister-in-law for encouraging me (and then surprising me with a shipping label printer for Christmas, I’m cooking now).

I’m doing a show tomorrow (Friday, January 2nd) at 9 pm EST (6 pm PST). If you’re new to Whatnot, it’s like TikTok live with shopping, without all the distractions. They’re a lot like my old Facebook reader group livestreams, you can just hang out with me, no pressure to buy. Follow me and save the show to join!

Follow me on Whatnot

I also found myself involved in my first ever copyright violation. In case you missed it, a bunch of AI companies used authors’ and other artists’ work without permission, and the artists sued in several class action lawsuits. Unfortunately, the River Reapers MC books were used, so like it or not, I’m in the class. Several of my other books were also used, but like many others, I can’t do anything about it because one of the stipulations is that authors must have a registered U.S. copyright before the lawsuit. Another downside is that this ruling seems to give AI companies permission to use authors’ work, as long as they purchased a copy of the books in their database. Reader, I’m not feeling that. I’ve been thinking long and hard—said the romance author—about what I want to do, and I’ve finally come to a decision. More on that soon!

I’ve decided to take 2026 as it comes. That doesn’t mean I don’t have hopes for this year, because I certainly do!

First thing’s first, it’s time to get back to writing. I’ve got about 10K left to write for Sleeve of Hearts, and I will finish it soon, perfectionism and suspected dysautonomia be damned. It’s also time to get my ass into gear and release the first two books in the series in paperback.

Depending on how things go, there are a few other books I’m hoping to write this year. Two are for the River Reapers MC series, another is a Stagwood Falls novella (series finale), and the other isn’t a romance.

There’s lots to look forward to in 2026. Thank you for all your support in 2025. I hope this next chapter is the best one yet for you and your loved ones.

*I obsessively backup, so it could never, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize!

September writing, ditching Kindle, and a free short horror story

Happy September! 🍂☕️📕

It’s been a busy last few weeks for me. I’ve been banging away at my keyboard, because I’ve finally figured out how to write Sleeve of Hearts. I had to do a lot of things wrong first, but man am I proud of this version.

What I’m Writing

When I was writing the first draft of Sleeve of Hearts, I wanted Antoni to be that addictive bad boy hero, but I had too much fun and made him an asshole. It’s like accidentally adding too much salt. A little is just right, but too much and you’re parched. Seven drafts later, I feel confident unleashing Ant into Romancelandia. He’s always feeding Kinsley, supportive of her dreams and crazy ideas, and a total dirty talker.

I’ll be done with this draft soon, and then it’s off to my publisher. I’m hoping we won’t have too much to revise. Either way, it may be a while before it’s published.

This month I’m rewriting the ending to a horror novella 🐝 I wrote a few years ago. I got to the end and didn’t like what I’d planned anymore. It just didn’t work. So I put it aside and went back to my small town romances. Four years later, I’ve worked out the right ending, so I’ll be adding that, and I’m sure rewriting the rest so it works.

I’m also wrapping up the River Reapers summer bash miniseries from last year. I was writing episodes alongside my main WIP while juggling lupus things, and my hands got too full so I had to drop it. Sometimes life’s just like that. Anyway, I’m wrapping that up to warm up for my next project.

Pulling all my books from Kindle

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my open letter to Amazon! I’m really glad it’s not just me. I’m also really grateful for all your support. We can’t control what Amazon does. What I can control, though, is what I do, and I’m working on getting my store back up and running so that you can buy ebooks directly from me that will transfer between devices, as well as work with the Kindle ereader and app. If you’d like to help, you can become a sponsor for $5 a month.

Quitting social media

Earlier this month, I left Instagram for good. A few years ago, I deactivated my Facebook, then deleted Twitter. I’ll probably let my TikTok go, too. I’m feeling more and more disillusioned by social media, for a lot of reasons. Privacy, intellectual property, and algorithms, oh my—it’s much more complicated than I can get into in a newsletter, never mind one post. I forgot to mention in my goodbye IG post that I’m on Bluesky, a Twitter alternative. I’m also on Whatnot.

Livestream Friday, September 12th, @ 4 pm EST

Join me this afternoon for my first ever Whatnot show! I’ll be reading from A Disturbing Prospect, signing copies of the River Reapers MC series, and unveiling a secret project I’ve been working on since January.

Watch

I’m aiming to do these once a week, maybe themed. If you can’t make this one, follow me on Whatnot and let me know the best day/time for you.

Get in the mood for spooky season

It’s that time of year when I break out the spooky short stories! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting one from my horror anthology The Last Minute Before Midnight. This week’s story is “The Corpse in the Tree.”

The only constant is change, and the book industry is sure going through a lot of them. I can’t thank you all enough for your support over the past decade. There’s so much to look forward to, I feel like I’ve only gotten started.

Until next time, happy reading!

Get tattooed (fictionally) for $5, summer updates, and a free River Reapers novella

In the July edition of my reader newsletter Romance with a Body Count, I share my current lupus challenges, what I’m working on, and how you can get a (fictional) tattoo for $5.

The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.

Romance with a Body Count

Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter
July 2025

Archive: January 2025 | February 2025 | April 2025

When I wrote A Touch of Gold in 2020, we’d lost my Noni and our family home. I baked my grief into the book, and wrote a way for Goldie to save her family’s home.

Cut to 2025, I’m working on the last book in the series while staring down the barrel of being homeless.

I really don’t need any more writing inspiration! 😅

The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.

For me, that means writing.

It’s really hard to focus when everything is crashing around you. Lately I’ve been practicing my original reason for writing: to stay sane. Over the years, my why evolved first to keeping my mind occupied while sick and unemployed, then to giving my readers more of the story they loved. I struggle with the fawn trauma response, so I’ve done a lot of people pleasing over the years, almost always to my detriment. Going back to basics and writing for myself has been so healing.

Whether you’re struggling with health issues, horrified by the evils of the world, or going through something else entirely, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on your why. You don’t have to be a writer to have a why; my best friend says her five children are hers. It can be that simple and wholesome. We all need a light that keeps us going.

What’s yours?

What I’m Working On

Summer is in full swing, and for me that means a renewed focus on my work in progress, Sleeve of Hearts. It’s slow going as ever, but a change in attitude has made things a bit easier. Instead of beating on myself for only being able to do one thing a day—often that one thing is making a meal—I’m shifting to focusing on one thing at a time. I’m practicing prioritizing my needs and keeping my expectations realistic. Much like anything else in life, it’s a work in progress; it’s a practice, never perfect. I’m practicing remembering that.

I’m so grateful for my publisher for being so understanding and supportive while I duke it out with this book and my own body and brain. Their publishing schedule is set for the next two years, so I’m hoping Sleeve of Hearts will see a 2028 release.

You don’t have to wait three years to go back to Stagwood Falls, though!

Get a (Fictional) Tattoo for Only $5

Inflation’s fucking crazy lately. I’m sure I don’t even want to know the going hourly rate for a tattoo these days. Let my apprentice Kinsley tattoo you fictionally!

I’ll turn you into a character in Sleeve of Hearts and your fictional self will receive a tattoo, microblading or permanent makeup, or haircut or braiding from apprentice Kinsley. All you have to do is upgrade to a paid sponsor of my newsletter for $5/month!

I’ll post a rough draft of your scene on my website, and you’ll see the edited version in the published book.

Don’t worry, if you don’t want to upgrade, you’ll still get my free reader newsletter and occasional goodies. But if you do upgrade, you’ll also get access to serialized editions of my books and exclusive goodies (like new stickers before they even hit my shop).

Become a sponsor now!

Thank you so much to my Sponsors Lauren, B., Dee, and Katy! Look out for your characters’ scenes soon.

Free River Reapers novella

As my email subscriber, you can now read Her Mercy for free! All 25 chapters are now live.

If you’ve already read Mercy and Bree’s story, leave a comment with your emoji reaction to the novella. Mine would be like 🦋🦅🖤!

What’s your biggest challenge this summer? Let’s cheer each other on—tell us yours by replying to this email, or you can leave a comment on my website.

I hope you and your loved ones are as well as can be, and that your summer’s giving all the good vibes. Or at least good AC. 😉

This summer, I’m having six MRIs and a tilt table study to assess what lupus is doing all up in my brain and nervous system. I could let the fear freeze me in place, or I can choose to see these scary tests as a scheduled nap and amusement park ride. I’m somewhere in between—like I said, I’m practicing.

May you always be in practice as a beautiful work in progress, too.

Happy reading!

Book tariffs, pirating my own books, and ways Canadians can still support American authors

In the April edition of author Elizabeth Barone’s reader newsletter, Romance with a Body Count, I share what I’m working on, how we can all support each other during boycotts and tariff wars, and why I’m pirating my own books.

I’m trying to find my footing after all the things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve had to make some big changes.

Romance with a Body Count

Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter

April 2025

Archive: January 2025 | February 2025

My dear readers, I pulled a classic “me.” I meant to send a March newsletter weeks ago, said weeks flew by, and now it’s April! On the plus side, it’s spring. And I’ve got even more updates for you, so let’s dive in.

what I’m working on 💻

I’ve been floundering these last few months, trying to find my footing after all the life-y things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve really had to fortify my mental fortress. It no longer serves me to be frozen in anxiety from or reactive to every crisis that arises. Instead I’m focusing on being proactive where I can, and writing rather than worrying I’m not active enough on social media or booking enough appearances.

This means I’m less active on Instagram (Meta sucks anyway, more on that in a sec), my new podcast is on hiatus (at least until Mike and I find a peaceful home), and I’m no longer actively booking events.

I’m still working on Sleeve of Hearts revisions, even though my progress has slowed quite a bit with this latest flare a la peripheral neuropathy. PN really, really sucks! I’ve had it as a “side” symptom for a while, so I’m not exactly new to it, but this is the first time it’s gone full throttle on me, and that I’m not used to. Luckily it usually responds well to my Tylenol, ibuprofen, and cannabis cocktail, except when the New England weather is weather-ing, which is frequently. It responded beautifully to both courses of prednisone I did in March, but I think at this point I need a stronger, longer course. It’s tricky.

With all that said, 2025 is officially a writing year for me, and with everything on, it’s exactly what I need.

book tariffs are coming to publishing
what readers need to know 📖

Unfortunately, U.S. tariffs on books go into effect this week. This means readers could see a drastic increase in cover prices. Right now, indie books shouldn’t be effected at all, since most self-published authors use IngramSpark or Kindle Direct Publishing, and the tariffs are on books printed in China. We could see indie prices increase, though, depending on how well publishers and printers adjust to a forecast increase in demand.

It’s really just my forecast, though, so we might not see much impact on indies at all. Only time will tell.

If you’re interested in the deets, or if you’re an author who might be effected, I wrote a quick blog post about it with some recommendations.

pirating my own books 🏴‍☠️

Since Meta apparently used 15 of my titles to train its AI without my knowledge or consent, I’m pirating my own books.

Just kidding—I was actually already serializing the River Reapers MC series with plans to serialize my other indie romances. Just when I was thinking Should I continue?, The Atlantic published their database of the books that Meta copied, cementing my plans. The RRMC books were sort of a test balloon for me, and now I’ll almost definitely be “pirating” the rest of my books.

Why am I posting my books online for free?

I’ve always offered alternatives for readers on no, low-, or fixed incomes, because I believe reading should be accessible. That’s why I’ve always enrolled my books in library catalogs and why I chose Kobo Originals to publish my first trad series (they’re sisters to Overdrive/Libby, the most widely used ebook distributor for libraries). I enjoyed posting on sites like Wattpad and Radish, where my stories did pretty well if I do say so myself. I was fortunate to be able to set up something similar using WordPress, which also gave me the ability to offer paid subscriptions. Some of my serialized books will be free for all, some will be free for those subscribed to my (free) email list, and some will be exclusively for (paid) Sponsors.

Right now, you can read the first two books in the River Reapers series, and I post new episodes of Her Mercy every Tuesday and Thursday!

I’m also considering reopening my review program. It was wildly successful when I launched it a few years ago. Basically, readers could request a review copy of a book of mine they weren’t able to purchase, no questions asked, as long as they posted an honest review. If you think I should do this again, hit the like button below!

How Canadian readers can still support american authors 🇨🇦

Or, low-key, how American authors can support #BuyCanadian and #BoycottUS 🙌🏼

With all the shots our strangely orange president’s been taking at Canada, it’s no surprise that Canadians are boycotting U.S.-made products and services. In some bookish spaces, it’s getting pretty ugly on all sides. I don’t think any of my readers are like that, but I believe we all succeed when we work together, so I put together some recommendations.

I’m still working on my mega list of ways people can boycott Amazon while supporting authors. It started off as like 10 things and now it’s grown monstrous—a wonderful problem to have, so I’m breaking it into several parts. The first will go out this week, probably Wednesday or Friday.

Leave me an emoji comment if you’re a proud reader! 🇨🇦🇺🇸📚🙌🏼

It’s been a bumpy year, and it’s only April. We will get through this, though, I really believe that. We just have to stick together and get creative. That goes for anything in life, not just dictators and religious crazies. Nothing can get ya when you’re stubborn. 😉

Happy resisting, and happy reading! 🖤

Thank you to March and April’s Sponsors: Katy Nicole, Dee, B., and Lauren!

Become a sponsor for $5/month.
Subscribing to my free newsletter is another great way to support me.

Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash

Be a character in my next book

I have a really fun idea for Sleeve of Hearts, and I want you to be part of it!

Throughout the Love in Ink series, we’ve seen the town of Stagwood Falls struggling to stay afloat in these crazy ass times. In A Touch of Gold, city planner David wants to revitalize Main Street by turning tattoo artist Goldie’s family building into a co-op (and Goldie is not on board, no matter how hot he is). In Tattooed Heart, town social worker Benton runs for mayor, and loses because of his need to do everything himself, almost ruining his chances with tattoo artist Sabella in the process. Now, in Sleeve of Hearts, the gang’s gotta get it together, or the whole town takes the L. Except now Goldie, David, Sabella, and Benton are a bit, well, busy in Romancelandia, if ya catch my drift. It’s up to Kinsley and Antoni, the “side characters” in the series, to save the day.

Kinsley thinks she’s “just a hairdresser” expanding her services by apprenticing under her award-winning big sister, but she, her cosmetology business, and a whole bunch of townies are actually gonna save the day. And you can be one of those townies!

What’s a townie? A townie is a character seen around the town of Stagwood Falls but not a main character in the book.

I’ll give your townie your first name and a smidge of your personality. Then I’ll bring them into the book in a fun, unique way that will be integral to the plot.

So for example, Denise’s townie is a local professional singer who Kinsley does hair and makeup for. We’ll see her in the beginning of the book and again at the end. Your townie may appear multiple times.

Thank you to my first sponsors B, Denise, Lauren, Vanessa A., and Vanessa D., and welcome to Stagwood Falls!

If you’ve read A Touch of Gold and Tattooed Heart, and want to be part of the epic finale in Sleeve of Hearts, let’s turn you into a townie!

To become a townie, become a subscriber and choose the Sponsor plan.

Join 2,200 other subscribers

You can also support me by subscribing to my free reader newsletter.

Thank you for your support!

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash