13 Things I Learned From Writing in 2013

I've seen a few other writers do a post about the thirteen things they learned this year, so I decided that I would try to post one as well. I'm not sure if I can think of thirteen things, but here we go.

1. I have way too many ideas and not enough time to write them. Outside of the Prophesized Series, I've started five others books and four of them are the first book in a series. I want to finish writing all of them, but I know that I won't be able to finish all of them as fast as I want to.

2. I absolutely hate editing. With a passion. I feel my life essence is being sucked out of me every time I open up my own book and have to read it to search for ALL the errors. Editing is like a Dementor sucking out a piece of my soul. That's a little dramatic, but I really don't like editing.

3. Synopsis writing is the devil. It's almost as bad as editing. I didn't write the synopsis for Reaching Retribution until like two minutes before I published the book. That synopsis was literally the first draft. I read it and had my roommate read it to make sure there weren't a ton of errors in it and then went "Eh, sounds okay," and submitted it. Writing the synopsis is one of the hardest parts of the whole publishing process for me.

4. Publishing a book is very scary. I go crazy right before I publish a book. I start pacing and talking to myself. I want to curl into a corner and rock back and forth, crying. It's terrifying. I'm always afraid that everyone is going to hate the book or something like that. I thought it would get easier after the first book, but it didn't. At all.

5. Commas are my enemy. Like Daleks to a Time Lord, commas are the bane of my existence. I've been watching a lot of Doctor Who recently. Sorry. Anyway, after I published BlackMoon Beginnings, I learned that I didn't really know comma rules. I still have to go back and fix all the commas in that book. Commas are stupid. I want to put a note in the beginning of all my books and warn readers to pause at their own whim.

6. I'm not a very good writer. I know that. I tell instead of show. I repeat too many sentences. I end sentences with prepositions. I use adjectives and adverbs far too often. My characters are sometimes flat. I use words improperly. Sometimes I use words that I didn't realize weren't actually words.

7. I can't write in third person to save my life. I tried starting a new book in the third person and I wrote the first paragraph and got stuck. It just felt wrong. I love being in my character's mind. I like thinking like them, and I just can't do that when I write in third person. It's easier to connect with my characters in first person.

8. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Really, none whatsoever. I just pretend like I do.

9. I can't please everyone. When I first started writing, I thought that I had to create a book that everyone would like. That's not possible. At all. People will definitely hate your book and they will tell you. It's going to hurt, but it comes with the job. I've learned that writing is way more enjoyable when I'm writing for me. When I write the story the way the characters tell me to write it instead of the way I know readers will want. I have to do what's best for the characters in the book and hope that readers will realize that.

10. I didn't realize this when I first start writing, but I put a lot of myself in my characters. Especially Ryanne. I didn't know that I basically wrote myself as Ryanne until my friends started pointing all these characteristics out to me and I was like..."No...I don't do that. You're wrong." and then I'd do exactly that. When I was little, I was in gymnastics and took piano lessons. I love drawing and doodling. I love hiking and spending time in the woods. I hum the alphabet when I'm bored. I'm incredibly stubborn and will take a lot of things as a challenge. I used to play pranks on people who called me short in school. I'm only 5'2", so Ryanne is taller than me! Ha. I know you don't know Lainey yet, but I wrote a lot of my stubbornness and weird humor in her character.

However, I also write about what I wish I was like into my characters.

11. READERS ARE THE BEST. Seriously, my readers continue to amaze me. They buy these books and read them in one sitting and they then tell all their friends to read it. I can't believe it. I've done no promotion on my books and yet people are reading them because of the readers. It's so strange to me.
All I did was write a book and some are claiming that they are readers for life. That is crazy. I don't know what I did to earn that, but I hope that my future books continue to be worthy of that support.

12. Writing is hard. Sometimes I felt like quitting. Growing up, I was in so many sports and I quit all of them. I started this writing process with that mind-set. I could quit whenever I wanted to. Whenever I was having a moment where I thought I couldn't go any farther, I'd get a message from a reader that completely changed everything. I think all my readers are psychic or have intuition or something. Like I said in number 11, my readers are the best.

13. I absolutely love writing. Like I really love it. It feels wrong when I'm not writing. I complain a lot, but I wouldn't want to be do anything else right now. I love this. I love all the people I've met because of these books. I love all the characters I've made. I love the worlds I've created. I love everything that comes with writing. The negative reviews. The positive reviews. The staying up really late to finish a scene. The writers block. The light-bulb moment when I get a new idea. The emails and comments from readers. The slightly delirious caffeine high I get when I know I have to finish a book by a certain deadline. I love it all.

For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. This feels right. I learned in 2013 that I have to focus on what I love doing instead of what others think I should do. I discovered a new love all because I refused to listen to a few early nay-sayers.

I'm going to see Frozen tonight. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited.

Also, I learned that I love using GIFs in my blog posts...if you couldn't tell from the three in this post.

Those are just a few of things I've learned in 2013. What are some things you learned this year?

Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you have a fantastic day. :)

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Redeeming Lainey Teaser #2

It's Thursday! And that means nothing to you. Usually I posted teasers on Tuesdays, but Tuesday was Christmas Eve and I spent the entire day last minute shopping and wrapping presents. Since I already have bad wrists, wrapping presents isn't that good for me, so I had to take a break from the computer, so I couldn't get my teaser up then. 

I'm hoping to finish this novel by the end of the week. I've crossed 80,000 words, and I think I'm getting close to the end. I'm not quite sure how long this novel is going to be, so I'm not sure where the end is exactly. I don't have a synopsis written for the novel yet, but I guess I can start giving some more details away. 

This book is written from Bryce and Lainey's (the main characters) POV. The prologue at the end of Reaching Retribution was written in Bryce's perspective and the first chapter is written in Lainey's. It is a stand-alone contemporary novel. At the moment, I'm still a little unsure as to whether or not is a Young Adult novel. This novel deals with some mature subject matter such as abuse, depression, suicide, cancer, etc. and there is some slight language. Nothing too bad though. I won't add in language unless it feels right for the character or the situation calls for it. If you read the prologue, you probably already know that though.

I'm hoping to have the synopsis written by next week. I have a Pinterest page that has some images of this novel if you want to see what some of my visual inspirations for this novel have been.

Anyway, here is the teaser from Redeeming Lainey. 

This part is written from Lainey's perspective, and is unedited and subject to change before publication.

I don’t even know what emotions are running through my body at this moment. I don’t feel anything, but at the same time, I feel like I’m experiencing the whole emotion spectrum at once. Nothing makes sense. Nothing has turned out as planned.

Growing up, I used to watch a lot of Disney movies. Naïve to the ways of life, I watched those films as though they were the guide to my future. I thought that all I had to do was flip my long hair over my shoulder and bat my eyes and my life would turn out perfect. I’d find a handsome prince and live happily ever after.  I remember playing dress-up with mom when I was six or seven years old, pretending that I was Ariel. Mom would take the sheets from my bed and tie them around me like Ariel’s make-shift dress when she first got her legs. I’d run around the house combing my hair with a fork singing “Under the sea” with my stuffed animal Flounder tucked under my arm, blissfully unaware that life doesn't happen like that. 

I don’t even know if I believe in happy endings anymore. Maybe for other people, but I’m starting to believe that not everyone is destined for that kind of ending. Some of our endings aren’t so happily ever after. Some of us just get the after.

Thoughts? I promise to try and make some of the future teasers a little brighter, but it's going to be hard with this novel. This novel is supposed to make you feel. What you feel, I don't really care, but my goal is to make you experience something--to think about it even after it's over. This is a novel about overcoming the darkness of the past and finding light in the future. About finding redemption. It is nothing like The Prophesized Series, but I hope you'll give it a chance when it comes time to publish! It's my favorite book I've written so far, and I'm not completely finished with it yet.

As promised, here is another song that I've been listening to while writing this book:

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy this time with your families, read a good book, watch lots of movies, laugh, have fun, etc! Thanks for reading my blog today :) You're awesome. 

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Teaser Tuesday: Redeeming Lainey

It's Teaser Tuesday! At the end of Reaching Retribution, I posted the prologue to the next novel I'm going to publish. This novel is called Redeeming Lainey. Let me tell you guys, I've fallen in love with this book and these characters. I just reached 70K in this novel, but I still have 20-30K more to add. It's a mature YA(?) contemporary novel and honestly, when I release it, I'm probably going to be terrified because it's so different from anything I've written before.

This book is way more serious than the Prophesized Series. Don't worry, as per my usual, there is humor sprinkled in. I've had a lot of "moments" while writing this book. By "moments" I mean I've had to walk away from the computer because I'm feeling too much.

This is unedited and subject to change before publication.

I found this song recently and it completely fits this book. I thought that I would share it during this teaser also. I got chills the first time I listened to it because it instantly reminded me of this book. I've listen to this a lot while I've been writing. This book has been influenced by many songs, so I might add the music videos for the songs at the bottom of each Teaser Tuesday post.

This novel has a projected release of Spring 2014. I'm not going to give an official date until I'm almost completely done with it so I can put it up for pre-order on Smashwords. That way, readers who use iBooks won't have to wait as long for it like they have for my other novels. I should finish writing the novel before I go back to school in January. I'll keep you all updated with that information.

That's all I have for today!

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Well...Now What?!?

First off, I want to give a giant THANK YOU to everyone who has read Reaching Retribution already. I didn't expect so many people to read it the day it was published. I wasn't not expecting that kind of response to the novel, but I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it. If you've rated the novel, thank you so much! Ratings are very helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to say a few words about the book.

I'm at a loss for words about how amazing you all are. I cried last Saturday when everyone started emailing me with their reactions to the novel. (You can ask my roommate!) My birthday was also this week (I'M NOT A TEENAGER ANYMORE <--that's crazy) and your support and love for this series was the best gift. I'm very repetitive, but thank you. If I could reach across the Internet and hug you all, I would. <3

Time for the slew of information based on some questions I've been receiving:

1. What are your writing or publishing next?!?

The next book I'm publishing is called Redeeming Lainey. The prologue is at the end of the Reaching Retribution. This novel is a mature YA contemporary novel about putting the past behind you and find light in the unknown. There is some darker subject matter in this novel, so I'm not sure if it's technically YA. I'm going to ask a few beta readers their opinion on what the genre should be and update you all at a later time. It's probably my favorite book I've written. I hope that everyone will give it a shot.

2. When are you publishing your next book?

I'm planning to publish Redeeming Lainey around February or March of 2014, so for now, I'll just say in the spring. The book isn't completely finished, but I'm hoping to get it done over my Christmas break so that I can start editing and getting some teasers out.

For now, I've made my Redeeming Lainey board on Pinterest public if you want to see some of my inspirations for this novel.

3.  The ending of Reaching Retribution:

I'm going to try and keep this spoiler free for those who haven't finished the book yet. The ending is left a little open because I want readers to think about what actually happened. If you pay close attention to details, I think you can imagine exactly how everything was possible. A lot of readers don't want to know exactly how everything happens. They want to imagine for themselves how everything plays out. I played on that for the end. A few people have been confused though, so if you shoot me a message, I'll explain everything fully. 

4. Any future Prophesized Novels:

Based on the amount of questions about wanting more from these characters, I'm getting a lot of people don't realize that I'm writing more about them already. There will be one more book fully wrapping everything up. It's not a continuation of the series, but most of that book will occur after the end of Reaching Retribution and before the epilogue. It'll just be a fun read, but a think you'll enjoy it. It's so CUTE. I've absolutely loved writing it, and I'm only 10,000 words into it.

I will dive deeper into character's relationships, their reactions to everything, details about why some characters had to die and others had to live, further explanations into the magic and powers that have been acquired. There will be funerals, characters will become engaged, find love, get married etc. 

I have lots of plans for this novel, but Redeeming Lainey is going to be published first. I'm expecting this one to come out in the early summer. It'll probably be around the end of May or early June since I'll be on break by that point.

Hopefully this answers some of your questions. If I didn't answer them, send me a message and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion! Thank you so much for support and have a great weekend! :)

Random GIF:

I took a break from studying and found this GIF on Tumblr and probably laughed for ten minutes straight. I have absolutely no idea why though. I found it hilarious and couldn't stop watching it. Haha Studying makes me delirious. 

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Reaching Retribution is Live!

It's December 7th! I finished Reaching Retribution early this morning, and as many readers have already figured out, it's now up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Here are the links for the book:

Amazon US

Barnes and Noble

Amazon UK

A lot of people have already started reading RR, and I'm happy about that, but if you read it, please rate it afterwards.

I spent a lot of time on this novel, but I still feel a little uneasy about publishing. I rushed through the editing process, so I could get the book out this weekend, and I have a feeling there are a few more errors in it than previous novels in this series.

I'm going to do another round of edits once my finals week is over. My last final is on the 13th and I'll be heading home that day, so I will start reading through more that evening.


I still have to format it for Smashwords, and then I'll be able to upload the book there sometime this afternoon.

iBooks: I've mentioned this before, but I've been getting a lot of questions about iBooks today. I don't have a Mac, so I can't upload directly through the iBookstore. That's why it tends to take longer for my books to show up there. I was going put the book up for pre-order around Thanksgiving, so you all could read it today, but things got in the way. This has been a hectic school week for me, and I didn't get to work nearly as often as I was planning. My education is my first priority.

Reaching Retribution should be available in the iBookstore in about a weeks time. You can download a version from Smashwords that you can read on your iPad or other e-reader device if you can't wait. I really am sorry about this situation.

*****

Let me know if anyone comes across any major formatting issues in the novel, and I'll do my best to fix them. *Fingers crossed that everything is correct*

I hope Reaching Retribution doesn't disappoint! Have a great weekend and Happy Reading!

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Less than a week!

 

This is the week of publication. I can't believe it. Can you believe it? I mean...hello...it's already December--the last month of the year.

I edited like crazy this past week, and am almost finished. I have a few school things I have to focus on today and tomorrow. I'll finish editing and start formatting Reaching Retribution on Thursday. It'll be ready for Amazon and Barnes and Noble this weekend. I was a little behind schedule and wanted to put it up for pre-order on Smashwords for iTunes like a week ago, but I wasn't able to do that. Itunes readers will have to wait a little bit to download from the iBookstore. I'm so sorry about that.

I decided that instead of posting a teaser, my teaser was going to be the cover of the book. I've had a lot of people ask me if I was going to release to cover before I publish, and I wasn't going to initially, but I didn't want to search for a teaser this week. Haha Here is the cover for Reaching Retribution designed by Victoria Faye from Whit and Ware Designs. 

What do you think? I love this cover. It fits the novel perfectly. (You'll see it when you read it!) The tendrils feature all the colors of the previous covers. I won't state who specially who that man represents. You can guess though, but I won't confirm or deny anything. ;)

Here are all the books in the Prophesized Series. Don't they look pretty? Haha. I'm a little biased though. If you like the covers, be sure to tell Victoria!

I hope you all are ready for Reaching Retribution! I'm terrified for you to read it, but I can't wait to get the book out into the world. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Also, I'll have some swag stuff ready to send out in the upcoming weeks. I'll update you all with those details if you're interested in them at a later date.

That's all I have for now. I hope you all have a fantastic day :)

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