So I just realized something this past Christmas – while I was busy doing all the crap you do for the holidays – that I’ve been writing romances under the name Lavender Parker for three years! Time flies when you’re having fun (and having crippling creative blocks, but I digress…)

Although it’s a bit past the official three year marker, I decided to do a lil wrap-up of the past three years for myself and you, my poor starved readers. So without further ado, here’s some musings on my past writings and future writings as well:

Favorite Book (so far): The Burning One

This is difficult, but I think my favorite overall is still The Burning One. It’s my biggest flop, sales-wise, but I still love the unusual story. Especially near the end of the book, when the story shifts to South America and Cee and Indira really have it out at Indira’s farm in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange, slightly controversial story but I’m happy I wrote it. To me, it’s one of the most interesting stories that I’ve written and explores the dark and shady areas of psychology and grief, as well as romance.

Favorite Couple: Gennifer and Mikhail, StoneCold Knockout

I love these two. Mikhail is kinda the perfect man, isn’t he? Hard but soft. Sexy as hell. Russian accent! And he was always unfailingly supportive to Gennifer. He believed in her when no one else did. Although he wasn’t always the best – he sometimes was too stubborn and hard for his own good – together they were golden. Gennifer is one of my favorite wounded heroines. She loved her quirky family so deeply and she was a successful woman in her own right. She was as stubborn as Mikhail, but she and Mikhail worked so well together. I could gush about their character dynamics all day. And their sex scenes were on fire (not to toot my own horn).

Favorite Male Lead: Christophe, Kiss of Ice

I have so much love for my dude Christy. It’s been a long time, but I still like him a lot. Maybe he gets the nostalgia vote, since he was my first male lead, but nothing can beat his love for Annata. She opened his eyes in so many ways and he loved her with his whole soul. No matter what happened between them, his love for her never wavered. She was his dream woman, always and forever.

Favorite Female Lead: Toni, Kiss of Fire

I love Toni. She’s just fun. When I wrote her, I envisioned her as the Solange to Annata’s Beyonce. She’s quirky but driven, immature but growing everyday. She didn’t have the same hardships that Annata had and she had a different outlook on life because of it. The two sisters were so different but also similar.  I also loved how she wasn’t afraid to go after O’Donovan. She had a sexual awakening with him, as well, which was fun to write. She wasn’t perfect, of course, but none of my characters are. O’Donovan really didn’t have a chance in hell once Toni set her sights on him. How could anyone not love her?

Favorite Steamy Scene: Against the Glass in Paris, Kiss of Ice

I’ll never be over this scene. When Christy pushed Annata up against the window in the hotel room in Paris, I think Kiss of Ice really became a memorable romance. It was a really visual scene and I hope everyone could visualize it as well as I did. It was one of the last love scenes I conceptualized for that book, but it was a doozy. I still get some chills thinking about it, ooh.

Runner-up? The shower scene in StoneCold Knockout (fans self) is an easy choice, but there’s also something about the last romantic scene in Flower in the Desert, when Jase finally gives in to Ruby. It’s a no-frills scene that takes place in a dark, modest bedroom, not a fancy hotel or anything, but it’s such a tender, realistic scene. It gives me the feels when I think about it.

Favorite series: House of Pain

I love the St. James Family, but House of Pain is where I’ve probably stretched myself the most with plots and characters. Tiny’s story makes me smile, it’s gonna be the sweetest of the trilogy (yes, I’m still working on it).

Favorite Cover: Flower in the Desert

It’s so pretty, retro and colorful. Spitfire Suckerpunch is the runner-up. The font, colors, and image really came together well on that one.

Hardest Book to Write: toss-up between Spitfire Suckerpunch and Kiss of Life

Spitfire Suckerpunch gave me so many problems! I don’t even know why. I think my creative coffers needed replenishing, but I had plot problems from the beginning. I loved Shay and Tate from jump, but the main conflict needed a lot of finessing.

Kiss of Life… no comment. It’s still not finished after two years, so that’s enough evidence hehe

Most Excited to Finish: Kiss of Life and Dirty Rotten Dixons

These books have been hanging over my head for so long. Can’t wait to let them go. Dirty Rotten Dixons, especially, because I have such a fun story planned for the Dixon brothers and Trixie.

Also, there’s a sci-fi book I’ve started but put on the back burner for a long time. I can’t wait until I can really get cracking on that one. But I have so many other stories to finish first 🙂

Most Excited to Start: Dueling Restaurant Owners, title tba

I have an idea for a story about a chef in (where else?) NYC. The male lead will be a character you’ve met already in a past book. I can’t wait to start this one, but it’s low on the totem pole, unfortunately.

So there you have it.

I have a lot planned for this year, but I’m not going to reveal until I’m ready. Y’all wouldn’t believe how many half-finished stories I have on my laptop’s hard drive at this point. I want everybody to know that nobody wants me to finish a book more than I do. I’ve been writing and writing and yet nothing has been getting finished. It’s my own fault but this year is gonna be good for me writing-wise, I can feel it. I’m ready for this year to be productive. So adios 2016 (what a shitty year, amirite?) and cheers to 2017. Let’s make it as good of a year as it can be!