On Sale!

The wonderful advertising department at Melange Books has put Becoming a Randal on sale for $2.99 until it’s release date of February 15!

The folks at Melange and their YA division, Fire and Ice, have been wonderful to work with through the entire process of publishing this book. 

When fourteen-year-old Samantha West and her younger brother, Tommy, are placed in a foster home, Sam feels as if she’s been thrown into a Hallmark movie, full of perfect looking people—actors. The only person not acting, is Spencer Randal, her sixteen-year-old foster brother who hates her. By way of a broken leg, getting hauled home by the cops, and a haunted house, Sam and Spencer each learn what it truly means to be a Randal—Do your best, don’t give up, set goals and work towards them, be a good person, and make things right whenever you can. However, just when Sam’s life has become as perfect as a Hallmark movie, she and Tommy are returned to their mother, where nothing has changed. As the cycle of living on the streets returns, Sam decides it’s time to make things right.

 

The creation of this book came about when I’d received author copies of one of my Harlequin books, and because they are targeted for audience over 18, my granddaughters asked when I was going to write a book that they could read. I told them that they would have to help me, and they instantly agreed. We plotted out a story, and spent a lot of time discussing characters and what sort of conflicts they would need to overcome to create a happy ending. That was important to both of them. They are both avid readers and we talked about books they liked and disliked all because of the endings. Once we had an outline, we began writing on a shared Google Doc, and when in person, we made additional notes. 

These are a couple of pictures of Hayley’s notes as we wrote.

Once the story was completed, I sent it off to a beta reader, but then, must admit, that I’d set it aside for a few months because I had other deadlines. With urging from the girls, I then looked into YA publishers, and after a discussion with Nancy at Melange, sent it off to them. We were all excited when Fire and Ice asked to contract it, and the girls were very excited when I told them that all three of our names would be listed as the authors!

Both girls helped through the editing process, and their mother, my daughter-in-law, read the story at that time. She sent a text stating that she was crying during the last couple of chapters, and my two-year-old granddaughter patted her hand, saying, “It’s okay, Mommy, here, I give you kisses.”

This has truly been an amazing journey to share with Isabelle and Hayley and we all hope that readers of all ages enjoy the story.

Buy links for the book:

Books to read: https://books2read.com/u/4NylaY

Amazon ebook-https://amzn.to/3ANQuHl

Amazon print-https://amzn.to/3KVSulx

Nook Press-https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becoming-a-randal-lauri-robinson/1140947512?ean=2940160970073

Kobo-https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/becoming-a-randal

Apple itunes-https://books.apple.com/us/book/becoming-a-randal/id1607704452?ls=1

  

Life is a journey. Enjoy each moment.