Uncategorized Archives - Emma St. Clair

Clean Romantic Comedy Books to Read on Spring Break

March 19, 2023 by Alisa

It’s that time of year again! And whether you’re doing a staycation or finding a sunny location, I’ve got a list of clean romantic comedy books to read on spring break!

I mean … is there anything better than a kindle full of ebooks or a crisp new paperback in your travel bag? No. (Though a great romcom plus delicious chocolate–and maybe an iced coffee–is also acceptable.)

Grab one of these warm and sunny romantic comedies for your spring break adventure! Pick a sweet romcom book that matches your travel destination or choose the destination you’ve been dreaming of. All the books on this list are clean (just kissing) and would fall into the rom-com category!

Let’s get to reading!

This post contains affiliate links! At no extra charge to you, I might earn commissions from purchases made.

Clean Romantic Comedy Books to Read onSpring Break 2023

Oakley Island Sweet Rom-Com Series by Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor

When their grandmother leaves them her beach estate, sisters Merritt, Sadie, and Eloise have to relocate to oversee the renovations before they can sell the place. They didn’t expect to want to stay … and they definitely didn’t expect to fall in love.

Cruiseshipped by Savannah Scott

If I’m going to be stuck with anyone on a cruise full of Midwesterners, at least it’s a hot fireman with that smile I can’t seem to forget.

The Relationtrip by Elana Johnson

Question: What do a reclusive author and an outgoing real estate agent have in common?

Answer: Nothing.

But fate brought them together on a vacation five years ago, and as Logan and Sloane prepare for their annual get-together, there are sparks flying between them.

Love in Bloom by Jenny Proctor

Hating Cameron Hunter shouldn’t be this easy. I’m basically a golden retriever puppy. I love everyone and want everyone to love me. But Cameron is the singular exception to my “love everyone” rule, and the hatred goes both ways.

When we’re both up for a magazine feature about walking tours of Charleston, our rivalry turns into a heated competition.

Dare to Love the Guy Next Door by Ellie Hall

A dating dare? It could turn out to be the perfect match or it could be worse than a slap on a sunburn.

Me, little ol’ Paisley Jones, envisioned glitz and glamour with my movie star fiancé until a humiliating, public scandal explodes in my life like damp confetti. I escape to the family cottage with an ocean view and am not looking for love until a dare and a crazy seagull send me next door.

Pretending at Love by Karen Thornell

Jackson needs a date for a destination wedding. And who can say no to a free Hawaiian vacation? But when he asks his old friend, April, to pretend to be his girlfriend, he never expected to be forced to do every single activity together… from yoga on the beach to kissing for the wedding photos. And pretty soon, those lines between fake and real start to get hazy.

Complex by Kortney Keisel

Tiny Little Lie #1: I want the new resort in Turks and Caicos to open on schedule.

Tiny Little Lie #2: I’m not falling for Luke McKenna.

It sounds bad. But I’m not a bad person. I’m doing the right thing…I think. I’m telling myself I’m a superhero in heels, saving people I care about.

But the grumpy onsite contractor isn’t making things easy. The more I lie and try to stall the hotel opening, the harder he works to complete the project. Did I mention he’s handsome? And moody? And brooding? And my complete opposite in every way?

If the truth about what I’ve done comes out, Luke will never forgive me. Then I’ll have to face another truth: my attraction to him might actually be something more—something worth fighting for.

Suited for Love by Ash Keller

When I inherit beachfront property from a great-aunt I never knew existed, it’s a dream come true. There’s just one problem: my handsome new neighbor has plans to expand his own business—and he needs my building to do it. *This is a novella!

The Worst Vacation Crush by Kristen Iten

Whoever heard of starting a new job with a mandatory vacation? I didn’t know that was even a thing until it happened to me. But like most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true… it probably is.

I just met my Hawaiian tour guide for the week. He thinks he’s irresistible, and there’s no point in arguing with him because I completely agree. But as I get to know him better, I begin to see that there’s more to him than a pretty face and smokin’ beach body.

Sweet Summer Nights by Anne Kemp

I friend-zoned Wyatt Hogan years ago…But this Fourth of July brings fireworks!

It’s been a few years since I left my hometown, but somehow Lake Lorelei and my closest friend Wyatt have become even more gorgeous.

He’s a fireman now?! That’s going to come in handy with all the sparks flying between us.

Am I 30 Yet? by Jen Atkinson

Not twenty-four hours into her dream trip, Sam meets not only one eligible bachelor, but two. Having given up on men after years of zero suitors, they’re now everywhere—like candy on Halloween, only Sam’s on a diet.

Samantha hasn’t lost sight of her goal though, she makes her case clear… She sets both of her admirers straight. She isn’t interested. She isn’t available… The problem may be convincing herself.

A Summer (Mis)Match by Kaylee Baldwin

He’s an irresistible vet who keeps everyone at a distance. She’s a children’s book author in a small beach town. Their families are archrivals, but the forbidden has never looked so sweet.

What’s in your beach bag? Have you picked up any of these clean romantic comedy books?

New Release: A Holly Jilly Christmas!

December 21, 2022 by emma Leave a Comment

Every year, I’m hit with Christmas book FOMO. The adorable covers! The cozy things! The snow! The everything!

I usually tell myself no, no, no, and no.

But sometimes I give in and write a novella in a super short period just because I HAVE TO. And yeah, I did that this year–a total repeat of when I wrote The Twelve Holidates in a week and then hit publish.

I’d love to introduce you to A Holly Jilly Christmas, a Sheet Cake Novella inspired by Bookstagrammer Jillian of Read with Jillian. We were talking in dms and she said something about tropes not working in real life and BAM! I had the idea of a story.

Because I hate editing and while working on Rogue I’ve just felt exhausted and tired of writing, balancing my edits with writing something new made me super fresh.

This little story is a single POV (a departure for me), grumpy sunshine, workplace, road trip, age gap, forced proximity snack of a novella. It takes place in Sheet Cake, but with characters you’ve never met. Case and Jilly work for a production company making cheesy holiday romances. Jilly’s job is to scout locations and has been in talks with Tank Graham about using Sheet Cake. Case is along for the ride because, well–Jilly doesn’t know why. But she’s crushed on him for years, so it’s cool. Or it would be if he stopped ignoring her.

Anyway, for a woman who tries to avoid tropes, Jillian runs into a LOT of them here.

There’s even a bonus scene from Case’s POV!

Grab this little holiday novella in KU, paperback, OR in audio! Heck, get all three! It’s adorable. 🙂

READ A HOLLY JILLY CHRISTMAS

GRAB THE BONUS POV- WHEN CASE MET JILLY

PICK UP THE AUDIO OF A HOLLY JILLY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Anniversary to the Love Clichés! Celebration Kickstarter

October 6, 2022 by emma Leave a Comment

TL;DR- Let’s talk about the two-year anniversary of the Love Clichés and the super special Kickstarter just for you!

Two years ago, I was breathing into a paper bag, trying to decide whether or not I should hit publish on a secret project. It was a romantic comedy, one I started writing in 2019 but finished in a quick two-week stint of writing furiously, grinning the whole time.

But … was I funny?

Would my current readers like this shift from sweet romance to sweet romcom?

I REALLY HAD NO IDEA.

So, I hit publish, then ducked under a table. (Not literally, but it felt that way.)

Two years later, this one book changed my author career. Quite literally.

Readers like you flocked to read Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin and got obsessed with the five women at the center of these stories: Abby, Zoey, Delilah, Harper, and Sam. You didn’t mind the men, either. (Especially Thayden.)

NOW, IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE!

I had been planning some special things for this month (currently October 2022), but after attending an author conference, I realized I wasn’t planning big ENOUGH.

Enter Kickstarter.

You may not know much about this crowdfunding platform (I didn’t either), but for a bunch of reasons, it’s the perfect place to launch what I’m calling the Love Clichés Anniversary Party!

Some things are still a surprise until the party launches on October 11th, but I want to give you an idea of what you can expect. Namely: super fun, new & exclusive Love Clichés swag, special edition books, and more!

To help you understand what I’m doing and WHY, here are some things you need to know!

WHAT IS KICKSTARTER AND WHY USE IT???

blue graphic with illustrated skyline of austin and words "why kickstarter? and what is it?"

What is Kickstarter?

At its core, Kickstarter is about crowdfunding. It brings an audience in to help fund the creation or production of something, with rewards for funding.

As in … it’s NOT donations. Not charity. (It’s not like GoFundMe, for example.) What it really will be like is a fan participation shopping experience. Fun. Exciting. You being PART of the experience.

pink and turquoise graphic with the illustrated austin skyline and words "think of this as a pop-up shop"

Think of it as a Pop-Up Shop.

This Kickstarter will serve as an online shop that pops up for a limited time with new, exclusive, and one-of-a-kind items. (Assuming my funding goal is met–but I think I’ve set a nice baseline goal.)

At the end of October, it goes away. Some items may be available in my own shop later, but I’m debating on how to handle my online shop in general. Which brings me to the next point…

blue and turquoise image with the illustrated austin with the words "the benefits to me: ability to stock and print special items"

Kickstarter will help me print and stock items much more easily.

Doing this through Kickstarter allows me to see what y’all want BEFORE I order and stock items. It also keeps my house from being overrun with a LOT of stuff.

Even in the smaller orders I’ve done through my shop, it is not an easy thing to have everything in my house in stock and do all the packaging, labeling, shipping, etc. This will help me have exactly what I need and then do a big batch of shipping and packaging all at once.

This streamlines the process AND allows me to offer things that would be harder to offer if I were just doing it via my own shop.

What’s in it for YOU?

So much! The cool thing about Kickstarter is that it can kind of gamify the shopping experience. The way the site is set up makes this whole thing more exciting.

There will be stretch goals–which means that once we’ve met the funding goal needed for me to produce and print all the items, if we go higher, there will be rewards added. Some will just be a bonus onto a paid level, and some will be things in the add-on sections where you can choose to add something on.

For my international readers, this will also help with international shipping. I’m partnering with a company to help bring down those costs and the shipping costs as much as possible, though they will still be high. Shipping just is what it is, unfortunately. But! Some readers who didn’t have access to paperbacks before will have access now. (And I hope, going forward, to be able to offer this. Working on it!)

What will be offered?

I’ve had the most fun this month picking and choosing fun Love Clichés designs and more. I’ve got new artwork, special edition paperbacks, and new bonus audio. Some may be available for purchase later on in my own shop on my site, but for now (and likely through the end of 2022), you will ONLY be able to get them here.

There is also one high level EVENT that will be completely unlike anything you’ve done before. It’s only for the WILDEST of my fans, so we’ll see if we get any takers for that. 🙂

Is this, like, a discount sale?

NO. This is not like a special deals thing in terms of price, though some things (like stickers) might be slightly cheaper here, mostly due to how I’m bundling things.

This is more of a special deal in terms of exclusive, extra stuff for superfans who NEED their Love Clichés books and merch and special swag and are happy to purchase them.

What do these costs include?

Pricing accounts for things like production itself, packaging (shipping gets added on at checkout), and TIME.

The time needed to write bonus scenes; the time needed to package all this up in my house. Cost of things like my narrator to record bonus audio and my assistant who has helped set this up and will help me ship. Cost of designers to help with things like turning my illustrations into coloring pages.

I’ve looked at Kickstarters before and been like, DUDE! They made so much money! But in actuality, many barely break even. Some lose money if they don’t correctly account for things like shipping, cost of things like boxes or mailers to ship, etc.

I’m hoping to make enough to make the time I’ve spent worth it, but this will not be a cash cow thing for me. 🙂

So… why are you doing this again?

Honestly, the more I heard authors talking about Kickstarter, the more I realized this could be something REALLY FUN for my readers and for me. Kickstarters can build community and work with your existing community.

It’s an experience. An event.

You guys are awesome, and this is a fun way to celebrate the Love Clichés and the fans who really made this series what it is.

We’re doing this TOGETHER. It’s fun! There are exciting things to unlock as we reach funding goals.

You know how I love surprises and there will be some fun surprises offered in there!

What if you don’t wanna do it?

NO WORRIES! I have other fun Love Clichés things happening this month, giveaways (did you enter yet???) and some sales. Kickstarter won’t be for everyone, and that is OKAY WITH ME.

I’m excited for those who do want to take part, and if this is a good fit, we may do it again with other series when they’re complete.

I already know not everyone will participate. My expectations are that SOME of you will be all over this. Some of you might want to just see what it’s about. And others might THINK you’re not interested until we’re talking about all the fun things, and then you’re gonna jump on board.

I’m cool either way. Got it? Okay. 🙂

WHAT NOW?

Follow the Kickstarter so you can get updates and hear when it goes live!

Enter the giveaway!

Make sure you’re in my Facebook group to hear about more!

Audiobook Updates!

August 19, 2022 by emma Leave a Comment

Do you audio?

Audiobooks are the thing! Apparently. I’m back and forth on audiobooks. I ENJOY them, but I think I prefer the ebook version (for ease of reading) and paperback (for the things I want to collect). I love audio for the car, but now I don’t go that many places! Or I have little ears. And even my books (which don’t have on-page intimacy or language) are not necessarily what I want my almost-six-year-old to be listening to.

That said, I love having the audio option for my books! Right now I’m moving all my romcoms into audio.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT AUDIOBOOKS (an author perspective)

Audiobooks cost more to produce than the ebook or paperback version.
Audiobooks have features out of our control (like pricing on Audible) and earn us less royalties than ebooks.
Audiobooks can take longer to produce and be a headache for authors to handle.

So, if you’re thinking–Wait, audio costs more to make but pays the author less? You’d be correct!

At least in most cases. Audio is an investment–one that’s more long term. Everything about it is just harder, especially when you want dual POV (as in, more than one narrator), which I do!

WHAT I’M DOING WITH AUDIO

While I produced my first romcom series, The Love Clichés, myself (hiring and managing the narrators and production), I am partnering with Podium Audio for my next few romcoms.

As a control freak, I don’t love having someone else controlling the production and distribution. As an author who just wants to write more books, I also don’t want to handle those things.

Podium approached me with a fabulous offer, and they have been a dream to work with. I love what they’ve done so far, and they’re able to produce a final audiobook that’s much better than what I can afford to do on my own. I am SO HAPPY to be working with them!

It also means I’m going to spend less time managing details related to audio and will put that time into writing NEW BOOKS.

WHERE TO FIND MY AUDIOBOOKS

Royally Rearranged is the first audiobook to come out from Podium and it is FANTASTIC. The quality, the production, the narrators–all of them are amazing. It’s a top-notch product that I know audio listeners will love! It’s available now, exclusively on Audible.

THE GRAHAM BROTHERS

While I’ve loved my narrators and the job they did with The Buy-In, I made the decision to take down the audiobook and it will be re-recorded with Podium, along with at least the next two installments, The Bluff and The Pocket Pair. I can’t wait to hear these final audiobooks, and am really excited to get these out to you!

THE LOVE CLICHÉS

You can snag The Twelve Holidates from me for FREE when you sign up for my email! You can listen to them wherever you buy audio, BUT you can also grab them all for the lowest price directly from my store… or just below. Use the code BLOG to get 25% off the full audio bundle!

…

A New Suprise Book and Collaboration!

August 15, 2022 by emma 2 Comments

Guess what? I have another surprise for you all!

If you follow me on Instagram, you already have seen teasers for this. Boy, do I love a good teaser! But the time has come to reveal that I’ve been working on a secret book that’s the start of a new series with …

JENNY PROCTOR!

You can grab our first book together, Eloise and the Grump Next door on Amazon or free in Kindle Unlimited!

This book is:

age gap
grumpy sunshine
neighbors
small town island
closed door romantic comedy

I love Jenny as a person and I love her books. She’s been my critique partner for a year and we decided to try our hand at co-writing. I’ve done this once before (love you, Courtney!) and it was a fun whirlwind. I’m not always the easiest person to work with (control freak, anyone?) but after much thought, Jenny and I talked about how this could work and dove in.

The series will follow three sisters (Eloise, Merritt, and Sadie) who inherit their grandmother’s estate on Oakley Island. At least one of them MUST live on the property’s carriage house while renovating the house into a bed and breakfast. Then they can sell and split the profits or keep the place.

Book one is Eloise’s story. The recent college grad meets grumpy lawyer Jake Fieldstone the night before the reading of the will–and let’s just say she doesn’t make a great first impression. She also doesn’t know who he is.

And now… Eloise is staying on the island in one half of the carriage house.

Wanna guess who’s in the second half???

(It’s Jake. Because: this is a romance novel.)

We had the best time writing this book and will have at LEAST three more. Podium Audio will be producing the audiobook and we’ll get you at least two other stories on this small island. Maybe more. You know how those side characters are–always begging for stories!

We hope you love this book! Go grab your copy today!

And here are some of the teasers we’ve been sharing…