Saturday, August 31, 2013
Giveaway
I'm offering 2 copies of Escaped up in the Giveaways section on Goodreads. The giveaway goes until September 25th, so head on over to Goodreads, add Escaped to your to-read list, and sign up to win a copy! Who knows? Maybe you'll be one of the lucky 2!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Something New and Different
I started a novel back in 2007. It's been years since I've touched it. This past weekend I pulled it out, itching to work on something new and different. Because, let's be honest here, when you have a deadline for something else, that's the last thing you actually want to work on. Am I right?
I've written over 30,000 words already. Yes, most of them are from the original draft. But I'm taking the words in a completely different direction, and I'm so in love with it. This is completely new for me. It will actually have an ending, not a "continued in book 2". I'm kind of excited about this prospect. Of course, there are secondary characters popping up who are demanding their own stories be told, but we'll see what happens.
So, in celebration of doing something new and different, I thought I would share a little snippet with you all. Because you guys rock! (And really, what's the point of doing this if there aren't awesome people to do it for?)
So there you go! You're welcome ;)
Also, in other news, my proof for The Sector comes later this week. I'm so excited to release this one for you guys. You're going to love it!
Thanks so much for reading! And don't forget, if you haven't read Escaped yet, you are totally missing out! :)
I've written over 30,000 words already. Yes, most of them are from the original draft. But I'm taking the words in a completely different direction, and I'm so in love with it. This is completely new for me. It will actually have an ending, not a "continued in book 2". I'm kind of excited about this prospect. Of course, there are secondary characters popping up who are demanding their own stories be told, but we'll see what happens.
So, in celebration of doing something new and different, I thought I would share a little snippet with you all. Because you guys rock! (And really, what's the point of doing this if there aren't awesome people to do it for?)
“Jessi? Are you okay?” Brian
asked, not noticing my injury. I shook my head and pointed to my foot. “Holy
crap! What did you do?”
He rushed forward and inspected my
ankle without touching it.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” I asked, my
eyes squeezed shut.
“That would be an understatement,”
he nodded, looking away from my foot. “Where are you taking her?”
“The student clinic,” Karen
snapped. “Duh, where else?”
Brian smacked his forehead with
his palm.
“What?” Lisa snapped.
“Jessi, your roommates are
morons,” he shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling an
ambulance.”
I groaned. Yeah, this was a great
start to my day. Wake up depressed, fall out of bed, break my ankle, run into
Brian. Yep. Perfect.
So there you go! You're welcome ;)
Also, in other news, my proof for The Sector comes later this week. I'm so excited to release this one for you guys. You're going to love it!
Thanks so much for reading! And don't forget, if you haven't read Escaped yet, you are totally missing out! :)
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Ahead of Schedule
The Sector isn't set to release until October 1st. Unless I get the proofs back and approved by the end of this month. If that happens, it'll release around September 1st.
I worked all day on the formatting. Normally this isn't a big deal. I use a template, I copy and paste, everything always works out how it should. Except today. Today I spent over 2 hours trying to get my margins to line up and my odd pages to be on the right side instead of the left. And then I did something I should have done at the beginning. I turned on the reveal codes.
VOILA!
I found the issue. A return. I had deleted a single return off a blank spacer page, and that screwed everything up. But, it's fixed now, the cover art is placed on the template, and my back of book is written.
Sort of.
I wrote 3 different versions. I couldn't decide. So I'm going to sleep on it and let my focus group pick their favorite. Then we'll go from there.
Also, a quick little reminder to add Escaped to your Goodreads To-Read list. Also, if you've read it, don't forget to rate/review it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Goodreads for me. :)
Thanks guys! I do this because of the support I get from all of you. You're the best!
I worked all day on the formatting. Normally this isn't a big deal. I use a template, I copy and paste, everything always works out how it should. Except today. Today I spent over 2 hours trying to get my margins to line up and my odd pages to be on the right side instead of the left. And then I did something I should have done at the beginning. I turned on the reveal codes.
VOILA!
I found the issue. A return. I had deleted a single return off a blank spacer page, and that screwed everything up. But, it's fixed now, the cover art is placed on the template, and my back of book is written.
Sort of.
I wrote 3 different versions. I couldn't decide. So I'm going to sleep on it and let my focus group pick their favorite. Then we'll go from there.
Also, a quick little reminder to add Escaped to your Goodreads To-Read list. Also, if you've read it, don't forget to rate/review it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Goodreads for me. :)
Thanks guys! I do this because of the support I get from all of you. You're the best!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
I Might Just be Brilliant
...or maybe not. But I like to think I am sometimes.
I do my best writing when I can't actually write anything. You know, driving in the car, while I'm in the shower, on eternal hold with the insurance company, etc. Since I almost always have my phone with me, I've found that it's great for taking notes (thank you Siri!). I got an app for writing, too, for when I have that stroke of genius in the middle of a boring meeting. It wasn't the greatest, and I actually just replaced it with something else, but it did the job for a while.
And that's how I found the awesome little tidbit I'm about to share. Before I deleted the app I wanted to make sure that everything important was retyped into a format I actually use (Word instead of .rtf). As I clicked on each of the files, I discovered several great ideas I'd forgotten about, a few things that didn't make it in to my first draft of The Choice, and the following, from Omega 5 (which only really has a title and this, but it's going to be awesome, I promise!).
Enjoy!
“Why won’t you take your shirt off around me?” I asked, tugging on the hem of his cotton tee.
“You won’t like what you see underneath,” Adam whispered.
“You sure about that?” My hands slipped under his shirt and slid up his chest, exploring the planes of his muscles, hidden away by the offending piece of clothing.
“There’s a tattoo I don’t want you to see,” he whispered. His muscles tensed under my fingertips. He was barely holding on, and I knew it. I pushed him further. “Damn it Jen! Fine! I’ll show you.”
He stepped back and pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion. My jaw dropped open. He was beautiful. And ripped. And tattooed everywhere. My eyes grew wide as I stepped forward and traced each one with my fingers.
“These are beautiful,” I whispered, still in awe at the artwork inked across his canvas. “Why would you hide these?”
“Because it’s the one on my back I don’t want you to see.”
I arched an eyebrow, and he pushed me away as he turned his back to me. My mouth dropped open and all the air gushed from my lungs as I read the name written in black ink across his back.
Marissa.
My sister. My little sister. My dead little sister.
“Why is her name on your body?” I tried to mask the gut-wrenching pain of his betrayal from my voice. I bit my lip, trying to keep it together until I could get out of the room.
He shook his head and turned away, donning his t-shirt.
“Adam, why is my sister’s name written across your back?”
“Because she was my wife, Jen.”
I laughed. I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t funny. But he had to have been joking.
“Marissa wasn’t married. We would’ve known.”
“She didn’t want to hurt you,” he said. “I thought we should tell you but she insisted on keeping it a secret. I almost felt like she was ashamed of me, but I pushed it away and tried to forget. I got the tattoo to prove to her how much she meant to me. It was stupid.”
“You’re damn right it was stupid!” I yelled at him. The tears I had so valiantly tried to hide flowed freely from my eyes. “Do you know how long I have loved you?”
He shook his head, refusing to look at me.
“For years! Since we met, actually. I always knew it would be you and me. I understood when you dated Natalie – everyone did – but it only lasted a week before you were mine again. But this? This is the ultimate betrayal. My sister, Adam! My sister!”
He raised his head and looked at me from across the room. Tears glistened in his eyes. He was hurting and I was being insensitive. But, my sister! I couldn’t get past it.
“Jen, let me explain.”
“No, I don’t want to hear your excuses,” I stormed past him and flung open the door. “I love you Adam. Always have. Always will. But this was low even for you. It’s going to take a lot for me to forgive you for this. I need time. I need space.”
I do my best writing when I can't actually write anything. You know, driving in the car, while I'm in the shower, on eternal hold with the insurance company, etc. Since I almost always have my phone with me, I've found that it's great for taking notes (thank you Siri!). I got an app for writing, too, for when I have that stroke of genius in the middle of a boring meeting. It wasn't the greatest, and I actually just replaced it with something else, but it did the job for a while.
And that's how I found the awesome little tidbit I'm about to share. Before I deleted the app I wanted to make sure that everything important was retyped into a format I actually use (Word instead of .rtf). As I clicked on each of the files, I discovered several great ideas I'd forgotten about, a few things that didn't make it in to my first draft of The Choice, and the following, from Omega 5 (which only really has a title and this, but it's going to be awesome, I promise!).
Enjoy!
“Why won’t you take your shirt off around me?” I asked, tugging on the hem of his cotton tee.
“You won’t like what you see underneath,” Adam whispered.
“You sure about that?” My hands slipped under his shirt and slid up his chest, exploring the planes of his muscles, hidden away by the offending piece of clothing.
“There’s a tattoo I don’t want you to see,” he whispered. His muscles tensed under my fingertips. He was barely holding on, and I knew it. I pushed him further. “Damn it Jen! Fine! I’ll show you.”
He stepped back and pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion. My jaw dropped open. He was beautiful. And ripped. And tattooed everywhere. My eyes grew wide as I stepped forward and traced each one with my fingers.
“These are beautiful,” I whispered, still in awe at the artwork inked across his canvas. “Why would you hide these?”
“Because it’s the one on my back I don’t want you to see.”
I arched an eyebrow, and he pushed me away as he turned his back to me. My mouth dropped open and all the air gushed from my lungs as I read the name written in black ink across his back.
Marissa.
My sister. My little sister. My dead little sister.
“Why is her name on your body?” I tried to mask the gut-wrenching pain of his betrayal from my voice. I bit my lip, trying to keep it together until I could get out of the room.
He shook his head and turned away, donning his t-shirt.
“Adam, why is my sister’s name written across your back?”
“Because she was my wife, Jen.”
I laughed. I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t funny. But he had to have been joking.
“Marissa wasn’t married. We would’ve known.”
“She didn’t want to hurt you,” he said. “I thought we should tell you but she insisted on keeping it a secret. I almost felt like she was ashamed of me, but I pushed it away and tried to forget. I got the tattoo to prove to her how much she meant to me. It was stupid.”
“You’re damn right it was stupid!” I yelled at him. The tears I had so valiantly tried to hide flowed freely from my eyes. “Do you know how long I have loved you?”
He shook his head, refusing to look at me.
“For years! Since we met, actually. I always knew it would be you and me. I understood when you dated Natalie – everyone did – but it only lasted a week before you were mine again. But this? This is the ultimate betrayal. My sister, Adam! My sister!”
He raised his head and looked at me from across the room. Tears glistened in his eyes. He was hurting and I was being insensitive. But, my sister! I couldn’t get past it.
“Jen, let me explain.”
“No, I don’t want to hear your excuses,” I stormed past him and flung open the door. “I love you Adam. Always have. Always will. But this was low even for you. It’s going to take a lot for me to forgive you for this. I need time. I need space.”
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Published!
I've spent the last few days having a minor freak out/panic attack/constant state of excitement.
Escaped is published. Officially. My book is for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. HOLY CRAP!
I can't tell you how awesome this feels. (It's pretty awesome.) When my paperback proof arrived the other day I seriously did a crazy happy dance in my living room. Thank goodness we don't have downstairs neighbors!
Publishing has been the most amazing, scary, terrifying, satisfying, fulfilling experience. It's so incredible to hold the last four years of work in my hands and say "This is mine. I did this." It's awesome.
But, sometimes the awesome is short-lived by the self-doubt. What if no one likes it? What if I find a typo now that it's published, even though I proofread the thing like thirty bazillion times? What if it doesn't sell?
Well, I'm starting to learn that I have to forget all of those what ifs. They're just trying to drag me down. This is an exciting time, and I need to be positive. I also need to stay busy. So, I've started working on The Sector again. I just started putting it through it's (hopefully) final round of edits. I'm shooting for an October release date.
After The Sector, then I'll get back to work on Stalked (Escaped #2) and The Colony (The Sector #2). I'm also working on The Choice (a stand-alone title), which I wrote in July for Camp NaNoWriMo, and The Castle (The Sector #3), which I wrote in April for Camp NaNoWriMo.
In November I hope to be able to work on something completely different. I have a few ideas formulating in my head right now, so we'll see which one gets to come out, but the others I'll save for camp next year, I promise.
As for Escaped, well, you can purchase it on Kindle, Nook, or paperback. If you buy it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Goodreads. I'd really appreciate it!
Escaped is published. Officially. My book is for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. HOLY CRAP!
I can't tell you how awesome this feels. (It's pretty awesome.) When my paperback proof arrived the other day I seriously did a crazy happy dance in my living room. Thank goodness we don't have downstairs neighbors!
Publishing has been the most amazing, scary, terrifying, satisfying, fulfilling experience. It's so incredible to hold the last four years of work in my hands and say "This is mine. I did this." It's awesome.
But, sometimes the awesome is short-lived by the self-doubt. What if no one likes it? What if I find a typo now that it's published, even though I proofread the thing like thirty bazillion times? What if it doesn't sell?
Well, I'm starting to learn that I have to forget all of those what ifs. They're just trying to drag me down. This is an exciting time, and I need to be positive. I also need to stay busy. So, I've started working on The Sector again. I just started putting it through it's (hopefully) final round of edits. I'm shooting for an October release date.
After The Sector, then I'll get back to work on Stalked (Escaped #2) and The Colony (The Sector #2). I'm also working on The Choice (a stand-alone title), which I wrote in July for Camp NaNoWriMo, and The Castle (The Sector #3), which I wrote in April for Camp NaNoWriMo.
In November I hope to be able to work on something completely different. I have a few ideas formulating in my head right now, so we'll see which one gets to come out, but the others I'll save for camp next year, I promise.
As for Escaped, well, you can purchase it on Kindle, Nook, or paperback. If you buy it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Goodreads. I'd really appreciate it!
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