HOME is out for sale!

Y'ALL!!!

It happened! My book is out on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and a plethora of other websites for purchase!

This has been a life-long dream for me since I was a girl and making pretend books on the typewriter my Mema gave me.

Where you can purchase HOME:

Amazon.com

barnesandnoble.com

iTunes

Kobo.com

Smashwords.com

Angus & Robertson Bookworld (Australia)

Indigo (Canada)

Inktera

ARCs and book covers and things

Okay, so today I sent out some ARCs, or Advance Reading Copies. I'm hoping this gets the ball rolling on the excitement concerning HOME's debut. I had to bug some of my fellow writers for author blurbs so I could either 1. put them on the book's cover or 2. put them on my website. I freaked out, feeling like a jerk and that I was being obnoxious, but then I realized the answer will always be no if you never ask. Also, "no" is the worst thing that someone can say if you ask them to do a favor for you. So, I asked away and was surprised by the reaction and the number of authors who agreed.

Guest Post and Book Tour: Writing for Children and Young Adults

I recently was asked by a publicist if I'd host a blog tour posts, and I was like, "Heck, yeah! Sure!" It was for Marion Crook, and a book that I can really use, it's called Writing for Children and Young Adults. The blog tour blitz offered me a subject for the author to write about, and I chose:  The big difference between young adult novels and adult novels. Read what Marion Crook had to say below the break!

Eleni

Black Five by J. Lynn Bailey Blog Tour! (And Giveaway!)

Just got a copy of Black Five by J. Lynn Bailey, and it's now on my TBR list! It looks really spooky and I can't wait to read it. Here's more on it beneath the link!

You can't really have it all... and that's okay!

I recently have been reading Philippa Gregory's The White Queen in my spare time and I caught the first episode on Starz from the BBC. Even though I know it's not that historically accurate, I'm enjoying it a lot. It's about Elizabeth Woodville, the widow who married King Edward IV of the Lancastrian line in secret during England's War of the Roses. Ms. Gregory has done an amazing job with the love story, the chemistry, the family, and the world-building. One reason I mention the world-building is at one point in the beginning, the Widow Elizabeth Grey (she was called that after her first marriage to a Knight named John Grey of Groby who died in battle against Edward IV's claim for the throne against Henry of York) was living with her mother, a French Aristocrat named Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Jacquetta had married a York supporter in England, but she did something that seemed like witchcraft for her daughter after meeting the York King of England in passing, Elizabeth asking for her lands back for her son's sake. Jacquetta had three little metal objects tied to threads around a tree by the river, the contents in the water, and brought her daughter Elizabeth over, telling her to pick a line. Elizabeth chose one, and her mother cut the others. Elizabeth asked her mother "what was on the ends of those threads?" her mother tells her: "choices you will never make, children you will never have." etc.

Jacquetta and Elizabeth in the BBC's The White Queen

The historical story of Elizabeth Woodville is that she married King Edward IV in secret and it was a scandal when Edward announced his marriage to her to his royal court. So, I've been drawn in, even if there's no historical proof of Jacquetta's magical game of MASH for her daughter. You'll have to read the book or watch the show to find out what was on the end of that thread that Elizabeth pulled out of the river.

And then, yesterday, a friend from high school messaged me on Facebook, saying, "You're always going to such interesting things!" He went on to say how boring his life was, making it sound like he was a little jealous of my life (not that I'm bragging here). Me? Interesting?

the Japanese Garden at the Hillwood House Museum in Washington, DC

I was surprised. For years, I always thought everyone else had a better, more fun social life than me and that was because I was not a likeable, loveable person that people wanted to be around. If I were a better person, people would take me on adventures and to night clubs and concerts and events, I berated myself. These days, I am not making much money, I'm struggling to pay my mortgage and bills (ha, what's new!), and I don't just work 40 hours a week to support myself, it's usually like 60-70. It wasn't until I stopped focusing so much on what other people wanted for me and expected of me, and started doing things I loved, it opened doors for me to do these "interesting" things on Facebook, like going to shows and cabarets and taking dance classes in my thirties. Most of my friends in their thirties have kids and they have to parent them first. And Jacquetta's words (from the show) rang in my ears and struck a chord with me. And I realized that the grass is always greener on the other side.

from the gardens at Hillwood House in Washington, DC

Yeah, I may not have a husband and a family, but that affords me to buy stupid things and go to things like Captain America: Civil War (which I did last night with my goddaughters at the IMAX theatre, and it was amazing!). I don't have to answer to anybody but myself and I get to put myself first. Sure, I may not make very much and I'm struggling to pay the bills, but I do get to live a very selfish life, and at times, I feel fulfilled. And I know that my friends who have children are being fulfilled by raising them, even if they can't go out to a burlesque show on a whim or drop into a dance class after work. And I realized, I don't have it all, but are we really supposed to?

Team Cap! Oh boy, it was an emotional and political roller coaster of a movie!

It got me thinking: society pushes us to settle down and get married/have kids by a certain age, to buy a house, to have a full-time career that's stable, be thin and in control of our bodies, healthy, and have a huge savings account/nest egg and 401K. But I struggle with those things. I've been told I'm getting too old to have children, although I just turned 36. It's been a fear of mine that I'm not going to meet my husband until it's too late to have children, but then I realized, it's God's timing, not mine. My reproductive health and my choice of when to have children is between me, my child's father, and my doctor, I don't have to get permission from anybody else who has no bearing on my life. And some of my cousins have had healthy children in their 40s. But, we get so ashamed and hide these aspects of our lives if we haven't achieved them. Yet, so few people do in this generation. Why are we so ashamed of not having the things that God hasn't brought into our lives yet? Maybe there are lessons to be learned that God's trying to teach us, and it will take a lot of humility to get it. And how much hubris is it to claim that we know better than God? No, we're not supposed to "have it all." It's rare if you do, and if you do have everything you ever wanted, I'm excited for you and cheering you on. But if God is holding back on bringing your spouse into your life and giving you a family, maybe there's a lesson He's trying to teach you. And I started thinking about "destination happiness": when we think, "I'll be happy the day I lose 10, 15, 50, 100 pounds" or "I'll be happy when I've got the perfect job" or "I'll be happy when I've met the man of my dreams." Let me explain something incredibly important to you: we aren't promised tomorrow. I know it's not easy, but do your best to find happiness TODAY. I'm not claiming happiness is easy, but it's completely worth the fight. You don't know what tomorrow is going to bring, and it very well could be something worse. I'd rather die fighting to be happy over living to please other people while being absolutely miserable. So fight to find happiness right now and don't wait on it, and don't get angry with yourself because you haven't achieved a lot of things that maybe you weren't ready for or didn't care too much about in the first place.

I know this is corny, but: if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans.

Book Release and Giveaway: Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost

 

Happy Release Day to

Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost

Join us in celebrating this new release from Month9Books!

Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.

Happy Book Birthday, Everly!

Book Release and Giveaway: The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman!

 

Happy Release Day to

The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman!

Join us in celebrating this new release from Month9Books!

Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.

Happy Book Birthday, Brynn!

I just got a copy of this book and I'm so excited to read it! It looks so spooky and creepy by the cover, and the blurb makes it seem even more terrifying!

Winter by Marissa Meyer review - the Lunar Chronicles

Rating: 5 stars

Link on Goodreads

Buy on Amazon or Barnes & Nobles

Visit Marissa Meyer's website!

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Fairy Tales? Yes! Scary, evil queen? Yes! Action! Adventure! Scifi! All yes!

I've read all four books and the little mini-story Fairest that gives more of Levanna's story, so when I got to this book, it made more sense.

My only complaint (that's not even enough to really complain about) is that the book was huge. It got the hard copy edition ASAP when it first came out, and I tried to carry it around at all times. Let me tell you, getting that book out of my computer bag was a pain, so I wasn't able to just pick it up and read it during a break a work. Notice I started it on November 16th and I'm just now finishing ti Feburary 25? Yeah. I thought the audiobook would be better, but it was over 23 hours along. My attention span is not that great, I'll be honest. So, I figured it out: I put the overdrive audiobook player on 1.25x speed, and it went along much faster. Problem solved! See, I told you it wasn't worth taking a star off!

I thought this books was really well-done when it came to the pacing. I squee'd a few times over Thorne, Kai, Wolf, and Jacin, and Iko made me laugh on several occasions! I loved the little fairy tale Easter eggs Meyer wove in and the world she created on Luna that hadn't really been explored before. And I read the acknowledgements in the end of the book, and it made me cry, of course!

All in all, don't miss this book, let alone series. I'm off to buy Stars Above, now!

In the After book blitz and giveaway!

In the After
Elisa Dane
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: February 2nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Sadie Reynolds is a liar with secrets. At school, she’s part of the popular crowd known as AE, despite being broken inside. She hides it well. She has to. The slightest bit of imperfection will land her in the same shoes as her Geeky neighbor named Ian.
Ian and his only friend are the object of Sadie’s friends’ ridicule, ire, and entertainment. The AE rule the school with intimidation and retribution against anyone who would dare question their supremacy.
Sadie steers clear of most of it, terrified someone will find out her secret. She isn’t the least bit perfect. In fact, she suffers from PTSD stemming from the murder of her mother right before her eyes when she was a child. She can barely cope from day-to-day, hiding her truth and trying to fit in. But she knows it’s only a matter of time.
Hayden is a “Waverly,” a kid with the misfortune of living in the small farming town of Waverly that borders the very affluent Lexington Parrish. The AE doesn’t mix with “Waverlies.” Ever.
Desperate to get away from her oppressive friends, Sadie crashes into Hayden at a bonfire and the attraction that sparks between them is nothing short of electric. But Hayden’s an outsider and when things heat up, Sadie will be forced to choose between her friends and her new boyfriend.
Only Queen Bee Britt isn’t having it. She will not allow Sadie to cross her. Sadie can either do what Britt wants her to do or she will reveal Sadie for the PTSD freak that she is.
Sadie does some soul searching about who she is and who she wants to be. She can’t live her life like this. Not any more. One fateful night will help her see how much things have to change.
She’s determined to no longer allow the AE to rule her life. She will be strong, stand up for Ian and love who she wants in Hayden. Determined and invigorated, Sadie goes to school feeling hopeful for the first time in forever.
But, the unthinkable happens.
Shooters attack dozens of students before the two eventually take their own lives, leaving the school a decimated shadow of what it once was.
Suddenly who lives where, wears what or loves whom seems like the least of Lexington Parish’s problems as everyone and everything changes forever in the after.
IN THE AFTER by Elisa Dane is a hard-hitting and heart-warming story of tragedy, love, loss and redemption. It is recommended for readers 14+.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“No! Stop it! Don’t hurt her. Mom! Mommy!”
I thrashed awake, my throat on fire, my skin cold and soaked with sweat along with my pajamas and sheets. That damn, fucking night. That final image of my mom bleeding out across our hardwood floor before the monster tied me up and locked me in the closet—it wouldn’t disappear. Burned into every deep, dark crevice of my mind, it haunted me daily, and replayed itself on an endless loop every night while I slept.
The three night lights dousing my room with a soft, warm glow, failed to provide the sense of safety and comfort they normally did and I hugged my blanket to my chest in a vain attempt to chase the chill away. My room wasn’t cold. The chill lay deep inside me in the place the darkness had taken up residence. Dying of thirst, I reached for the glass of water sitting on my nightstand.
“Sadie!”
My body seized, my arms flew up with a scream, and water rained down over everything within a five-foot radius as the glass tumbled through the air. It shattered upon impact with the wood floor. Mocha went crazy. The fur at the nape of her neck standing on end as she paced back and forth at the end of my bed, growling and barking.
Barely able to control my limbs they were shaking so badly, I floundered around for my cell phone, which had gotten lost somewhere between my sheets.
“Sadie! Let me in.” The window shook each time the attacker rammed his fist against the glass and panic spiked, a high-pitched wail blowing past my lips as I ripped apart my bedding.
I found my phone buried beneath the blanket near my feet. Dizzy and hyperventilating, I fumbled with it, repeatedly stabbing the touchscreen in a vain attempt to unlock the damn thing.
“Come on! Come on, you stupid thing.” My heart felt like it was in my throat and my chest felt like it was going to explode any minute.
“Ginger! It’s me, Hayden.”
It felt like I’d been trapped under water and was finally able to surface and take a deep breath. The thick haze of fear slowly dissipated, the fog inside my head clearing enough for me to recognize his voice. “H-Hayden?”
Hot tears trickled down my cheeks as I stumbled out of bed and made my way over to my window. I grappled with the extra locks my dad had installed when we first moved in, unable to contain the loud sob that blew past my lips when the window finally slid open.
Hayden was in my room with his arms around me before I had a chance to draw breath. “I heard you screaming and I got scared.” His body stiffened and he pulled away, his gaze scanning the room. “Did you hear something? Is that why you were screaming?” He took a step toward my bedroom door, stopping when I caught his wrist.
“It’s okay, Hayden. No one’s here. I had a nightmare.”
He stared down at me with narrowed eyes, then closed the gap between us, drawing me into his arms again. His arms felt warm and strong, the space at the center of his chest where I laid my head as though it was made for me and me alone. As if on autopilot, his hand found its favorite spot on the side of my neck, his touch both soothing and electric as he peered down at me with concern. “Nightmare? You were screaming like someone was trying to murder you.”
I flinched.
His eyes grew wide for a millisecond, realization and understanding warring for dominance behind his eyes. Thankfully, the gentleness I craved in his deep blues returned as quickly as it had left. He swept me off my feet without warning and carefully placed me on my bed, sliding between the sheets right along beside me. I rolled onto my side, my body shuddering in relief when he pulled me against him and wrapped his arm around me. “Sleep, princess. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Safe. It was such a small word with such a big meaning. Lives either flourished or fell apart in search of it. I’d known the warmth of safety. Taken it for granted. Wasted the warmth and comfort that came with it like a spoiled child. I also knew the festering terror that came with the absence of safety. I walked in its darkness. Choked and smothered beneath it nightly. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I would truly feel safe again. But, for reasons I couldn’t explain, that’s exactly how I felt in Hayden’s arms. Completely safe.
And so very tired. Too tired to care about my dad’s warning about talking to Hayden and letting him in the house. My lids grew heavy and I was asleep within moments.

Author Bio:
ELISA DANE is a self-proclaimed book junkie. A lover of handbags, chocolate, and reality television, she's a proud mother to three All- Star cheerleaders. Writing is her absolute passion, and it's her mission to create stories that will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but help you find a new respect and interest in the sport of All-Star cheerleading.
Elisa is no stranger to the publishing world. She writes steamy paranormal romance under her real name, Lisa Sanchez. Her adult works include the Hanford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold, and Faythe Reclaimed), Obsessed (an erotic suspense), and a paranormal novella, Cursing Athena. Elisa lives in Northern California with her husband, three daughters, and a feisty Chihuahua who stubbornly believes she's human.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Happy Fall! And secret projects!

Yes, I'm one of those silly white girls who love the fall. Where I work in Nashville, unless I get there at seven in the morning (against the awful traffic), I end up getting parking almost a quarter of a mile away from my office. I have to walk across black asphalt in summer heat twice a day to a car that's like an oven, so I've hated this summer. These last few days have been lovely, and then, the first official day of fall has made it feel so much better. I also have started to enjoy the holidays now that I'm no longer working a second job in retail. Yes, I have to two jobs to make ends meet. I hated the holidays when I was working retail, but last year, I didn't work retail and I loved Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, this is my favorite time of the year, now!

I've had a rough couple of weeks, not a lot of time for writing. I have a terrible time with anxiety: it starts to make me scared to do anything, and I get exhausted and overwhelmed. Yeah, it sucks, it's an "invisible disease" and my doctor can't understand it, I don't understand it much either. I went through this through the beginning and middle parts of September (sorry for the radio silence). And then, a little birdie suggested me for a ghostwriting project (I wish I could say who she was, and which publishing house it is, but I can't just yet).

So far, it's going pretty well. Ghostwriting, for those that don't know, is when you write under a pseduonym and typically don't get any royalties, just a flat rate one-time fee. Sometimes, it's for a celebrity, other times, it's for a publishing house. Most of the time, you get an outline or some interviews, and are told to make the most of it. Luckily, I'm getting to come up with my own characters, setting, etc. I am getting a lot of guidance in what they what, which I like. This will be a great resume-builder and a good professional writing experience.

I'm very thankful for this, and I can't tell you much more about it until I get some more information. I'm very much looking forward to fall and the holiday season! Hope you are, too!

COVER REVEAL for Stacey O'Neale's UNDER HIS SKIN!

For a Limited Time, you can pre-order UNDER HIS SKIN for only $0.99!!!

Earth girls are never easy. But they're worth it. Bakery owner Annabelle Sparks' business is booming ever since she won reality TV's Cupcake Wars. The one thing deflating her happy soufflé? The extremely sexy Kaden Chance only sees her as a best friend- and Annabelle wants so much more. After waiting a year for him recognize their chemistry, she's giving up and dating other people. What she doesn't know is Kaden's heart doesn't actually beat. He's not human. Heck, he's not even from Earth. To retain his intergalactic immunity, no one can ever know he is an extraterrestrial. But when Annabelle starts dating, something strange happens to Kaden's unmoved heart: it begins to beat. Now he faces an impossible choice-tell Annabelle the truth and be deported-or lose his last chance at love.

Release Date: September 21, 2015

Pre-order Here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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Plotting or Pantster?

I've been told that in the writing world, there's two types of writers: "plotters" and "pantsters". There's people who make organized, neat outlines before they sit down to write, aka "plotters", and then there's people who just sit down at a word processing document and they just write, the "pantsters" as in, "flying by the seat of their pants". I've discovered I'm not either or, I'm both!

I love writing and of course, knowing what's the plot will be ahead of time helps a TON. And sometimes, you end up developing more deeper levels of characteristics on your world or your character's personality. You've got an idea, but getting from the beginning to the end is kind of difficult.

I've tried writing only the exciting parts and the endings, and trying to fill in the in-between, and that's a mess. I'll tell you why: when you try to fill in the blank spaces, you have to make it usable to the plot. And that's where I literally end up developing new layers and facets to characters that affect the scenes towards the end and then I have to alter the ending! I end up falling in love with these smaller characters and they end becoming bigger characters. And then I am stuck editing the later parts because of these changes when I try to write ahead.

So, recently, in the last two or three years or so, I've gone from complete pantster to semi-plotter. I have to plot out certain types of scenes, like climax, to make sure that I have an idea of what needs to happen next, what needs to be revealed, etc. Planning out scenes like this has made me value writing out what I want to do next. I've realized I can't meander through what I'm writing just to pad it with enough words to be considered a novel. That leads me to making a rough outline for the whole book.

I've used the Snowflake method (although it drives one of my best friends insane) and I downloaded Snowflake software to plot better. It's an older method of plotting and is somewhat outdated, but a lot of writers still use it. It creates an entire skeleton proposal with character outlines, multiple plot synopses of different lengths, and chapter outlines/bibles. As much as it helps me, I don't like the chapter outline part. Why? Because sometimes a part of the story you've plotted ends up being longer than you thought it would be and it has to cover two to three chapters. And then, you might discover holes in the plot! Then what? I usually fill the chapter information into the Snowflake software after I've finished the rough draft of the manuscript so it matches up.

Because of this, I have to write in a linear fashion: chapter by chapter in progression. Unlike Doctor Who, I can't jump around and write all "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey", even with an outline:

While I love the Doctor, this is not me when I'm writing.

Plotting or Pantsting, which kind of writer are you?

Four types of 'plot' over 'world-building'

I love writing, but I'm more into creating a world: the rules, the characters, how they buck the system. Plot usually comes later and is more difficult for me, oddly.

Honestly, this is what it feels like when I finish a book and realize I've just rewritten Harry Potter.
Also, a very flattering picture of me.

I think it's because I wanted to be a series writer when I was little, and I started reading series books like the Baby-Sitter's Club, Sleepover Friends, the Fabulous Five, etc. I loved the idea of creating characters and having all kinds of adventures to write about with them, but not having to plan them out.

It's fun, but no editor really wants to buy a series unless you've got credit behind your name. Most of the time, you have a better chance with trying to sell a stand-alone book when you're new to professional writing. That kind of puts me in a difficult position, since I'm kind of crappy with plot.

Plot is essential to the book, though; it's important to have one. How do you write a query letter to sell it? How do you explain the book and why it's so great and it would be great to read it? What would be the blurb on the back of the book when it's published? You can't just meander along with the conflict and action of the book.

In high school, I had an English teacher in high school tell me, "There's only four types of conflict out there: man vs man; man vs nature; man vs self; and man vs machine." I take that as pretty consistent with everything I've ever read or tried to write. Sometimes, I've got these fabulous characters and a really cool world, but I don't know exactly what to do with them, so I sort of have to rely on these four conflict types to come up with something.

Which is easier for you? Plot or World-building?