Proudly Presenting the WORST AUTHOR AWARD

(A tongue in cheek update)

The WORST AUTHOR AWARD

It has come to my attention that sometimes, we just need to laugh a little at ourselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor and fanfare that I present to myself The WORST AUTHOR AWARD.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

This prestigious award comes along with self-doubt, comparison, feelings of failure and a spiral of anxiety. Isn’t it gorgeous?

In all seriousness- I recently decided to accept this prestigious award with a healthy side of “oh well.” I might not be everyone’s favorite author, but if I tried to be, I’d write exactly 0 words and not the stories of my heart. That sounds like no fun, because writing stories is what Jen Fulwiler would call “my blue flame”. (The thing that lights me up and makes me feel fully myself.)

So, to those of you who are authors, and to those of you who aren’t- this is a little reminder to everyone that whenever those feelings of ‘I’m the worst at {insert whatever thing here}” creep up, you can look at this prestigious award and laugh a little. I happen to know you aren’t the worst, and also, even if someone thought you were the worst, who cares?

Life’s too short to waste it on comparison! So, let’s all just stop doing it! (I know easier said than done, but I’m trying here, and I’m dragging you all along with me on this journey of anti-comparison too!)

Taking back the day with a feel good RomCom.

It’s almost here! June 13th is officially the release date for Superior Hearts Summer: Paige & Connor’s Story by Olivia Hope McCarthy. (That’s me if you were wondering.)

June 13th isn’t just an arbitrary day though. Sure, it happens to be a Friday —and I really like releasing books on Fridays—but this June 13th will mark four years since my Dad passed away.

June 13th, 2021, was undoubtedly one of the worst days of my life, but the thing that I keep coming back to is that I survived it. It was a horrible, horrific, terrible, no-good, rotten, awful day. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. Losing someone you love puts things in perspective. I dread this day, every single year. But this year, I’m reclaiming it in a positive way.

I will always miss my Dad, but I know that instead of curling up into a ball and hiding from the world, he’d want me to stretch my wings and try new things. So, this June 13th, I’m releasing my first romcom.

If you knew my Dad, you’d know he loved Great Lakes Freighters, and my love of the big ships definitely was encouraged by him. While my Dad’s illness and passing story has nothing to do with the actual story contained in Superior Hearts, my Dad is one reason why I write. I hope he’s proud of me for trying this author thing, even if I’m pretty much flying by the seat of my pants.

Superior Hearts Summer: Paige & Connor’s Story has everything I want in a romantic comedy, plus it’s set in the heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There are simply no better summer ‘vibes’ than Marquette in August. There are mischievous preteens, Christian themes, Catholic characters, star gazing, campfires, and a cougar (the animal). There’s also the storm of the century, and what I hope are really great kisses (but also I keep it PG-13).

Just a note, sometimes when people start writing romance, people wonder how much of the romance is based on the author’s personal romantic relationships. In this case, the answer would be none. (Or close to none, I, like Paige, really like it when my husband wears his baseball cap backward.)

You can preorder the eBook now, or you can order a paperback starting on 6/10!

RISING:

In May, my second book left the nest and is now in the hands of readers.

RISING is the sequel to REACH and I am so very proud of it.

It has political intrigue, more romance, and something extremely important to me- a message that affirms the dignity and worth of all human life. Even, and especially those with disabilities.

These books were written with teens in mind, but many adults have enjoyed them too. If you’ve read, would you be so kind as to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, StoryGraph, Fable, or even your social media? Reviews make a huge difference for indie authors- it doesn’t have to be complicated either. You can give stars and write even one sentence. “I couldn’t put it down.” or “Enjoyable read, good for teens.” count in the algorithms!

You can read both on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, or Barnes&Noble.com today

What I’m Reading Now

Latisha Sexton’s The Grump’s Bodyguard

Latisha is a must-read author for me. Her book, The Hart of Christmas opened me up to the beautiful world of contemporary closed-door romances, and I will always be grateful for that! I adore how she takes complicated subjects and makes them relatable through her stories. Plus, I’m a total sucker for reverse tropes. Reverse Grumpy-Sunshine where SHE’s the Grump? I’m IN.

C.B. Mason’s SHATTERED

Another post apocalyptic dystopian? Yes, PLEASE. C.B. writes a true young adult dystopian that takes place in the 2100s amidst extreme climate changes and other post-apocalyptic scenarios. There’s class tension, high school drama, and an air of mystery about Tessa (the FMC). This is my current pre-bedtime read (but that might be a mistake because I keep wanting to read more, but I also need my sleep as a busy mom of five. Here’s the kicker that tells you it’s good- I keep choosing the book over sleeping…)

(This book has some light swears and light crude language.)

Zofia Von Huck’s MIND GAMES

This is a KU read for me, and I’m so excited to dip my toes into a different type of SciFi. This is closed door, and I’m getting some Severance ‘vibes’ from it, even though I’m only a few pages in. I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out!

Madelyn Smith’s Romance Isn’t a Country Song

This is a sweet, clean, grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy novella and I got an ARC! Madelyn is such a fun, encouraging author friend, and I adore everything she writes. (Have you read her other books?) I’ve only read the snack list so far, but I’m already hooked ;) She got me with the mention of sourdough bread and the dedication to her Dad, who told her love isn’t a Taylor Swift song. How sweet is that? And how right was her Dad? (If you’re not in love, I’ll just tell you that after 13 years of marriage, Mr. Felix was 100% correct. It’s not all beautiful dresses and gowns and gorgeous sets. It’s work and grit and a whole lot more- but that makes it all the sweeter!)

As always, thank you for being here! Readers, you mean the world to me!

Love,

Olivia