Hello Readers!

Welcome to my Author Chronicles Year in Review!

2021 Writing Year in Review

After 20 books and the spinoff series All or Nothing, featuring distant relatives, in-laws and friends, my hiatus gave me time to carefully craft Colton & Reagan’s story, Homecoming, which is the final chapter in The Blake Boys series. When writing John Jacob and Teri-Lyn’s story, Meet the Blakes, I realized that John Jacob’s motivation for success was partially attributed to his big brother Gabe. And after much time, I was able to bring Gabe to life as more than a distant memory, but as a beloved character that was a big part of the foundation that made the Blakes who they were as a family. We discovered that the older Blake sibling was a staple in the community and had found love before he went off to war.

New Projects

As for 2022 and the direction of my stories, I’ve been teasing since my return, the next series will be The Blake Boys: The Next Generation. The parents have found love and happiness, so now it’s time for the kids to have a go! The first book in the series will start 15 years after Homecoming and with Jake, Seth and Morgan’s oldest son and oldest Blake grandchild. Little Jake Blake will be all grown up and yes, a pro football player like his dad. He will set out to prove himself in the world while trying to get a grip on his love life.

Romantic interest Gabriella Hawkes aka Gabby has chased poor Jake around when they were kids but now the tables have turned! I am currently working on their story tentatively titled Red Zone. It’s still a couple of months away, so this should give everyone time to adjust to the kiddies growing up!

There is a myriad of Blake kids as we’ve seen throughout the series. I intend to give each of them, as adults, their own stories. The Blake universe is about to expand even more, with an occasional cameo from the older folks in the family because, as we all know, no matter how far away they are, this family finds a way back to each other.

There will be new hangouts, new destinations., careers and many new characters on the horizon. But it will still be love, lust and laughter and of course, football. But that doesn’t mean some of the kids won’t pursue other sports. Can we guess what Connor wants to be when he grows up?

Story Building

Jake and Gabby’s reader inspired playlist is up now! Leave a song suggestion below! Character profiles coming soon!

Jake & Gabby’s Playlist

Author Musings

As always, it’s a pleasure to create stories and characters my readers enjoy. My intention is to publish 3 books a year. For newer readers, this will give you a chance to get in on the ground floor of the new series. But there is plenty of background material in The Blake Boys and All or Nothing series to read as a resource.

Thank you to all the readers who reached out to me via email and social media to check up on me while I was on hiatus. The Blakes have become a fictional family of sorts to many people. And it is humbling to know that my characters and stories were missed.

Reader Questions

1 – Lisa – Lisa said she didn’t have a question. She just didn’t want to see the series end.

Good news Lisa! The series is not ending but morphing into a new generation of stories. We are privy to have a lot of background on their parents.

2 – Millie – What is next and when?

Next stop, The Blake Boys: The Next Generation. It will hopefully be out by February/March.

3 – Nicole – (Who is also one of my FB group mods, yay!) – Is there going to be a time jump for The Blake Boys: Next Generation. Also, what stories do you have planned for 2022?

Yes, the time jump will approximately fifteen years which will have most of the kids in their early to mid 20s. I have three of them planned for 2022 and will only be working on this storyline.

4 – April – Will there be any more Jake Chronicles?

The Jake Chronicles is ending but a new kid in the family will pick up the baton to do the reporting.

5 – Lou – When are you going to publish the Blake Boys (The Next Generation)?

The Blake Boys: The Next Generation should be out early 2022, possibly as early as February/March.

Reader Feedback

I am always looking for ways to interact with my readers! Have a suggestion for what you’d like to see in the new series? Leave a comment below!

Happy Reading and I hope you have an awesome 2022!

Rhonda