Howdy Y'all! TL&DR: cover reveal, signed books are available for preorder in the shop with additional perks, the audiobook narrators for the Valentine Texas series are Vanessa Edwin and Aaron Shedlock. Bless Your Heart is coming soon to audio + a sneak peak of the first two pages of Spill the Sweet Tea.
Now....if you'd like to read the long version with a nice cup of coffee, just sit back, relax. I'm writing to you straight from the heart (sorta) of Texas! I'm so excited and proud to reveal the cover of Spill the Sweet Tea (STST from here on out because that title is long). Down below, I'll be sharing some fun shop news and I have an audiobook announcement too! Oh, and before I forget, there's an exclusive sneak peek of the first two pages of STST *unedited* down below...only seen here! Before we jump into it, I wanted to give a big thank you to Candy Kane PR for helping with the cover reveal of STST and big thanks to all the readers and bloggers who are sharing! You are amazing and I appreciate you!
Let's get to it! Time to spill the tea, babaaaayyyyy.
Have you added this book to your TBR yet? If not, I GOTCHU! Goodreads: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaongr I've been sitting on this beauty for a few months now, and I'm just blown away by how amazing the Original and Special Editions turned out. AHHHHHHHHH!!! There aren't enough GIFS in the world to describe how much I love it!
Mamoa will have to do!
Thank you to my incredible team that helped make this cover what it is: Dee Garcia at Black Widow Designs & Wander Aguilar. The cover model Andrew Biernat is the perfect Hayden. Thank you all so much for being a part of this project. This just wouldn't be what it is without all of your combined magic. I'm honored! Guys, look at this special edition. It's just glorious and I told Dee she has no business designing something so dang adorable for me!
I'm in love and I hope you are, too! Yes, every book in this series will have two beautiful covers to choose from. :) Pre-order the eBook of Spill the Sweet Tea! Amazon: https://amzn.to/441QjFd
Apple: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonapple
Kobo: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonkobo
Barnes: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonbarnes
Google Play: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaongoogle
SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
If you'd like to order signed paperbacks/hardcovers, they are now available in the shop for pre-order! I'm doing a special pre-order package that will be removed at 11:59AM on Sept 18, 2023.
Signed copies: https://lyraparish.com/shop
Each "package" will receive:
Signed Book (Must choose edition/format, with $16-$25 value)
- (5) 3" stickers that are Spill the Sweet Tea themed ($20 value)
- Main Street Bookstore swag (this bookstore is featured in STST) ($15 value)
- NSFW art print on iridescent pearl paper, just like Bless Your Heart! ($10 value) -Postcard & Bookmark (No value because swag that comes with all of my books) Total Value of $60 - $70 depending on edition/format, with an even larger value if you buy the combo! For those who like both covers on their shelves, you can grab both editions for only $7 more! That's a big discount! On release day, this offer will end.
But wait, there's more!
I am offering special pre-order perks that won't be available after release! If I meet goals, I'm ordering even more amazing swag to give away! It's perks only available to those who pre-order signed copies from my site! So, if you're contemplating it, be a part of the madness. So many people have loved opening what I send them because I'm full of so many surprises. :) If 100+ pre-order // Pre-order perk: exclusive keychain If 200+ pre-order // Pre-order perk: exclusive notepad + everything else listed above If 300+ pre-order // Pre-order perk: exclusive eyeglass cleaner + everything else listed above If we make it, yay! If not, still yay! I'm super grateful anyone wants to read my words. I thought it would be something fun to do and to strive for! I've been working on mindset lately and was telling my friends about this idea, and they were like OMG, why did I never think of that? LOL! So here I am doing pre-order stretch goals! :) If this is fun for you guys, I'll keep this up for the rest of the series, which means it could get wild up in here with perks.
SPECIAL AUDIOBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
Oh, and I'd also like to make another BIG announcement, the AUDIOBOOK for Bless Your Heart is releasing this month. I'm waiting for a confirmation before I announce the date, but it's my birthday month! EEK! I'm so excited and thrilled for this to go live, but also to announce the narrators for the series....
VANESSA EDWIN and AARON SHEDLOCK.
They did a fantastic job on the audio of Bless Your Heart, and I'm beyond honored to have these talented and professional voice artists perform my words. Seriously! Y'all are going to love it. And that's coming from a TEXAN! Just have to give a huge shoutout to Lyric Audio and my amazing team! Brittney Cottingham is an incredible producer and my audio engineer Erik Synnestvedt. Without their help and enthusiasm, these books just wouldn't sound as great as they do! Thank you so much for everything! When I told Brittney what I was looking for in narration, she said, "I've got the perfect combo," and like my fairy producer godmother, she delivered me this King and Queen. She nailed it, and I knew from the very first sample they were THE ONES. Yes, they will be performing the entire series!!!! ALL 10 BOOKS! The longer the series is, the spicier it gets. Trust me on that one. Ahh, can't wait! Oh, and there's also another special surprise, too. I read the dedication, author's note, and acknowledgments, so you'll actually hear MY voice in this book! Thanks to hubby and that audio engineering degree he has, we were able to record it in his home studio! It's the first time I've ever done that, but I've always wanted to. I'm so excited about it. Going forward, I will probably do it in all of my audiobooks. I think it adds a special touch. LOL! It also makes me realize all those theatre hours/youtube videos/podcast episodes weren't a waste, haha, kept my chops up. One day, when I write my non-fiction book, I will 100% narrate it myself.
✨MANIFESTING IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.✨ Listen to me, I sound like Kinsley Valentine. HAHA!
Anyway, I guess that's enough news from me for one long AF blog post! :) Don't forget to pre-order Spill the Sweet Tea! Amazon: https://amzn.to/441QjFd
Apple: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonapple
Kobo: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonkobo
Barnes: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonbarnes
Google Play: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaongoogle
Signed copies: https://lyraparish.com/shop
Spill the Sweet Tea will be released on September 19, 2023. Vanessa and Aaron will start recording this month, so I'm crossing my fingers that I can get it up (that's what she said) in time to release with the eBook & Paperback. We're all hopeful it will, though. It's been a publishing bucket list item of mine since I first started releasing back in 2014, and I'm finally on schedule with this series and think we can make that happen from here on out. Oh, yeah...I did promise you that sneak peek of the first few pages of Spill the Sweet Tea, didn't I? Okay, I'll hush, then! Happy reading! Expect some more cool news VERY VERY soon! :) I'm doing a collab with someone, the first one since I started writing under Lyra Parish, and can't wait to announce who it is!
Chapter 1 - Kinsley “I’m up! I’m up!” I roll over and reach for my iPhone, wielding my tired eyes to focus on the time. I blink hard, trying to grab my bearings. “Four in the damn mornin’? Ugh!” Pushing the comforter off me, I sit up and groan loudly, hoping whoever is outside understands they’re about to feel my wrath. Sometimes when I’m woken from a dead sleep, I turn into a bear. Everyone who knows me knows to beware. So this better be a 9-1-1 type of situation. As the pads of my feet hit the cool wooden floor, the knock-knock-knock turns into panicked fist pounds. “Kinsley!” The deep voice echoes. “I’m coming! Hold your damn horses!” I stumble through the dark, tripping over the high heels I kicked off when I got home from work less than ten hours ago. After I unlock the deadbolt, I swing open the door and glare into my brother Harrison’s blue eyes. His dark hair is a sloppy mess, and I can’t tell if he’s drunk, but he smirks regardless. Then I realize he’s standing buck-ass naked on my porch. His hands firmly cover his junk, and I lift my palm toward him to block the view of everything else. “What in the world?” I look around and see he’s alone. No truck is parked in my driveway, either. No cell phone unless it’s tucked between his butt cheeks. This isn’t a prank, but it doesn’t look like an emergency, either. “I’m confused.” “Can I please come in, or are ya gonna let me show my ass to everyone who’s awake on the ranch?” I slam the door in his face, but I only make it two steps before he starts howling. “Kins! Please! I can’t go home like this! I will make it up to you and grant you one favor in exchange! Anything! You’ve got my word. Cowboys honor, cross my heart and hope to be bucked off and kicked in the nuts during my next training session. You know you’ve always been my favorite sister!” The last part makes me chuckle, considering how large our family is. I have 5 brothers–Beckett, Harrison, Colt, Emmett, and Sterling. I also have 4 sisters—Remi, Fenix, London, and Vera. Of course, I’m his favorite. I’m the only older sister he has, which says a lot considering how busy our parents were. “Pretty please with sugar on top?” I swing open the door and glare at him. “Do you have any idea how much beauty sleep I actually need, Harrison? This is the fourth time in a matter of months.” He shrugs, and I move out of the way, letting him inside the tiny house I live in on the family ranch. “Sorry, sis.” He sounds genuine. “Do you have any of my clothes here?” I rub my sleepy eyes. “Not anymore. You wore them home the last time you randomly showed up covered in manure. Pretty sure I still have a favor banked from that episode.” “Well, shit. You have anything that will fit me?” “Maybe.” I go into my room and open my bottom drawer. It’s where I keep the oversized clothes I love to lounge around in on the weekends. There’s a Jurassic Park shirt and some stretchy basketball shorts that might work. I set them on the back of the couch and then turn to give him privacy. He mutters something under his breath, and when I finally glance in his direction, I nearly piss myself from laughing so hard. The shirt looks like a tank top, and the shorts stretch over his quads like spandex. He’s tall and built from working with horses and has nearly a foot of height on me, but this is worse than I expected. I double over, wheezing, struggling to catch my breath. “This is...” I’m nearly choking at this point. “Waaaaaay too good.” “I’m glad you’re findin’ this funny. It’s so tight on my balls I can barely breathe.” “Beggars can’t be choosers. Trust me when I say this is as good as it’s gonna get when it comes to my clothes fitting you. Good night, Harrison.” “Remind me to drop off an overnight bag tomorrow.” I take a step forward and point my finger into his chest. “No. How ‘bout you prepare not to have your clothes stolen in the first place?” “Stolen?” He barks out a laugh. “You have no idea what happened.” “And I don’t want to know. I’m tired! Now, can I please go back to sleep? I have to be up in two hours for work.” I grab his arm and nearly drag him to the door. After I swing it open with my free hand, I gently push him outside. “I’d offer you my couch, but you’d just refuse!” “Because my legs hang off. Why won’t you let me buy you a new sofa?” “Take it or leave it! I like my furniture!” “Leaving it.” “Well, if you start walkin’ now, you might make it home before the ranch hands wake up.” “Don’t want to drive your little brother so he makes it safe?” “Nah, it’s less than a mile. Beauty rest, remember?” He sticks out his bottom lip. “You’re a big meanie.” “I’ll happily claim the title. Oh, and you’re welcome, jerk. Next time, I’m not gettin’ up for you. And I will absolutely be takin’ that favor and adding it to the pile I’ve been collectin’.” I scan my eyes up and down him once more, snapping a mental picture of how ridiculous he looks, then slam the door. My only regret is not taking an actual photo in case I needed it for blackmail later. I’ve saved Harrison from trouble more times than I can count, but if I needed anything, he'd be there without hesitation. He might be a giant pain in my ass, but he’s true to his word, and returns favors like a genie granting wishes. Nothing is too big or small for a man with no boundaries. My other siblings think I enable Harrison’s recklessness too much. Maybe I do, but I think it’s because I understand him in a way they don’t. I climb back into bed, the sheets already cold from my absence. Nervously, I roll over and double-check my alarm, making sure it’s still set. As soon as I fall into a deep sleep, my phone buzzes and plays a happy little tune—the intro to Walking on Sunshine. If my life were a musical, it would be my theme song.
Want more? Pre-order Spill the Sweet Tea! Amazon: https://amzn.to/441QjFd
Apple: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonapple
Kobo: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonkobo
Barnes: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaonbarnes
Google Play: https://bit.ly/spillthesweetteaongoogle
Signed copies: https://lyraparish.com/shop