I'm not sure that I look for tropes when selecting a new book. However, some will suck me in (fighting for a cause), and others will annoy me (surprise baby). What about you? Tropes tend to be unique retellings of similar situations in novels. I list mine for my ARC readers so they can decide if it's a story they'd be interested in. While the setting remains the same- 1850s California small town and San Francisco- each novel connects the characters and has a stand-alone storyline. Tropes To Sign Her Own Name (Book 1): Romance plus women's rights fight Fish out of water Hidden identity Found family Forbidden Grumpy friends to lovers. The Love Debts (Book 2): Romance plus women's rights fight Mystery illness Secret career Found family Forbidden subplot Opposites attract & Friends to lovers Leo's Game (Book 3): Romance plus women's rights fight Mystery villain He falls first Forced proximity She's already engaged Protector Family secret subplot Share your favorites! Sign up for my newsletter for more information about ARCs, release dates, and a free prequel set in Pittsburgh!

Truest Updates Hello! I'm so happy to have you in my writing world. What a summer! I promised myself that 2026 was the year that I finally put my trilogy out into the world (only 6 years of writing & revising). I'm very touched by your encouragement, and my muse keeps on musing. It tickles me to no end that readers ask about Jakub. As a bonus appreciation gift, here's a prequel short story link from his point of view. What Jakub Did. Pretty much says it all. Tell me what you think. Feel free to share with other historical lovers. COVER REVEAL TIME! I'm thrilled to share my second book cover. Working with a human (no AI) cover designer made me appreciate the process and feel proud of creating a piece of art. The Love Debts is available for pre-order on Amazon (e-book only) for release on October 27th (paperback and Kindle Unlimited on/after Oct 27th). I can't wait for Livia & Jamie to share their path to an HEA. More details at: TruestCarter.com I'll post updates on the rest of the 3-book historical romance series. The goal is to have them all available by December. Not bad for 6 years of writing, right? Oh, and I signed up for my first author vendor booth. December 12th in Springfield, VA. Already planning a holiday display...can you tell I'm excited?! Thank you to those who posted reviews for To Sign Her Own Name. I don't understand it, but the online sales algorithm gods notice author exposure. It also helps defend against AI slop books overwhelming the new release lists. Appreciate it! Follow the ARC link to sign up as an early free reader/reviewer or join my street team and spread the latest information! Thank you so much for your support. All the best, Truest Carter Truest Carter | Author | Historical & Medical Romance Works in Progress: These military stories are currently in development and preparing for publication. Each novel continues the thread of women navigating independence, identity, and love in a changing world. truestcarter.com @TruestCarter 8401 MAYLAND DR STE A RICHMOND, VA, 23294 USA

Do you like emotional & physical interaction between characters in a romance book to show they love each other, or not? There doesn't appear to be a set publishing industry standard for describing heat levels in novels. This leaves it up to the author to define their own writing and the reader to be okay with it. Many authors, publishers, and contests describe the level of physical interaction with terms like sweet/clean, low/med/high heat scale, steamy, or with symbols like peppers or flames. Sweet makes it clear that there is no sexy time on the page. I've read books where the emotionally connected couple didn't even kiss until the wedding. I've also read high-heat passionate love that made my toes curl. I don't want to "yuck anyone's yum." Perhaps mine fall somewhere in the middle. More importantly, I don't want readers to be surprised. But books aren't labeled, right? Here's my take on writing intimate scenes. I imagine the characters are thinking about the other's attractive qualities, and when they get a chance to act on their desires, they do. Consent is sexy. I call my writing "To The Sheets." It means the intimacy may be an open bedroom scene, but it leaves what happens under the sheets to the reader's imagination. It's not a true "fade to black" like in PG movies because there's intimate physical contact. Make sense? You tell me. I label my own writing as "low to medium heat." I'd love to know if you think this is fair. Help me pick how many peppers or flames I need. I welcome sincere, constructive discussion about this topic without degrading authors who write at either end of the scale.

Does it seem strange that I'm releasing a 3-book series only a couple of months apart? Well, it takes me far longer than that to write a novel. Truth is, I worked on the Trailblazers by Lantern Light Romance Series for 6 years. I promised myself that this was the year they would go public. I'm so glad for the extra support. An editor, cover designer, critique partners, and wonderful ARC friends & family have encouraged me to keep at it. The plan is: Keep Book 1, To Sign Her Own Name, on KU (and available as an eBook & paperback) at least until next year. Release Book 2, The Love Debts, in October 2026. Release Book 3, Leo's Game, in December 2026. Follow my newsletter and sign up to be an ARC reader for release updates and bonus extras! A free prequel, What Jakub Did, is coming soon. Thanks for checking out my blog. Happy Labor Day!

Six years or more ago, when my muse insisted I write about the first American women to achieve or fight for basic rights, I fell down many rabbit holes. Not the least of which were those that challenged my own misconceptions about historical societies. Have you heard of the Tiffany Effect? Martins’ wrote the best article I've found by far. It's when a reader firmly believes the author must have gotten the history wrong. Example: because there's no way an ancient character could be named Tiffany. It applies to many more subjects, and I learned a great deal about my own bias. For instance, 19th-century women weren’t expected to marry before age 20. Women always ran businesses, wrote, participated in politics, pursued education, and protected their families. The problem with not knowing about these norms stemmed from who wrote the history books and their motivations. Women from the era I researched were not so buttoned up. Early photography did show women lounging around with their long hair down or walking alongside a wagon on a hot Kansas day without a corset (OMG!—abbreviation is also not modern). My favorite lesson with women’s history (and I can’t find who wrote it first) is that if it’s yuck now, it was yuck then. We’re really not that far removed. So, before I assume an author got it wrong, I will now question my own confidence in assumed history. Check out this online article: juliamartins.co.uk/the-tiffany-problem Or, for all things women’s history refer to Normal Women by Philippa Gregory. And, of course, for word origins (what’s modern?), I refer to primary sources or www.etymonline.com Thanks for reading! Truest

Truest Updates Hello and welcome! I'm so happy to have you in my writing world. Truest? What's in a name? Author quotes that resonated with me kept appearing. My tagline evolved, and then my pen name. Love the Truest version of yourself! COVER REVEAL TIME! I'm thrilled to share my first book cover & that To Sign Her Own Name is available for pre-order on Amazon (e-book only) for release on August 4th (paperback and Kindle Unlimited on/after Aug 4th). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H8KCJGMT?spcref=PUBLISHED_PREORDER_LIVE Very soon, I'll share updates on the rest of the 3-book historical romance series. The goal is to have them all available by December. Not bad for 6 years of writing, right? Thank you to those who already signed up for ARCs! For more information on Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs), please follow along on most social media @TruestCarter Follow the ARC link to sign up to be part of the early free readers/reviewers or to join my street team and spread the latest information! Thank you so much for your support. https://forms.gle/XLRsf8HNtWt947CE8 All the best, Truest Carter Truest Carter | Author | Historical & Medical Romance Works in Progress These stories are currently in development and preparing for publication. Each novel continues the thread of women navigating independence, identity, and love in a changing world. truestcarter.com

Ever thought of becoming an ARC reader/reviewer? Having reviews ready on release day is extremely helpful to an author...especially for a debut novel. Interested in learning more? I'll send details about a free e-book. Fill out my form on my website or at the link and help me prepare for a summer release! https://forms.gle/XLRsf8HNtWt947CE8 I'll never share my lists, I promise! My hopes are for a kind review, even if it's very brief. Any post on major book sites helps the magical "algorithm" of exposure. Details about this book: Title: To Sign Her Own Name, Book 1 of The Trailblazers by Lantern Light Series Genres: Historical Romance, American Historical Fiction, Women's Rights Historical Tropes: Romance plus women's rights trailblazer. Fish out of water, hidden identity, found family, forbidden, grumpy friends-to-lovers. Content warnings: fighting (minimal/off page), harassment, perceived infertility, grief Steaminess: low-med heat (think open door that fades into the imagination at the sheets) Length: 84,500 words Due Date: Plan reviews by August 2026. Will confirm. Thanks for considering. Happy reading. Truest C.

What's in a name? Selecting a pseudonym was not easy! As a pediatric nurse, I wanted to keep my romance writer name separate. I also needed a fresh URL and an unclaimed social media handle. The tagline Love the Truest version of yourself came to me after noticing several literary quotes. Even if some of these authors have a grumpy history, I appreciate the message to writers from writers across the centuries. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know. --Ernest Hemingway A loving heart is the truest wisdom. --Charles Dickens The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind. --Ella Wheeler Wilcox Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. --Henry David Thoreau