WHEN EMPIRES FALL

WHEN EMPIRES FALL

FREE eBook Promotion and Birthday Bash Blog Tour!

In celebration of her quarter-life crisis, Katie Jennings is running a one-day only FREE eBook Promo for her latest release, When Empires Fall! Click the cover image below to download the FREE eBook from Amazon, or click HERE!

What people are saying about When Empires Fall…

“A modern day epic in the tradition of Gone With The Wind… Infused with deception, lust, murder and romance, Jennings creates a magnificent family saga not to be missed.” -J.L. Firestone, author

“Exhilarating and fresh… Jennings masterfully weaves an intricate web of deception and lies…When Empires Fall is not as much a story about the rich as it is a story about human character.” -Cristian Mihai, author/blogger

“Wow! This word doesn’t even capture the writing ability of Jennings…gifted with character development to rival the New York Times best-sellers…Jennings tantalizes her readers at every chapter and scene break. Her characters are addictive.” -Bestselling Author Carolyn Arnold

Synopsis…

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall…

In America, kings are not born, they are made.  Men with ambition build their own empires and it is their heirs who carry the torch of tradition, generation by generation. 

The Vasser Hotel Empire rose out of the ashes of an Industrial era, cementing itself in the very heart of America’s greatest city, New York.  Through the drive and courage of one man, a legacy was born that would last more than a hundred years.

That is, until word got out that one of their own was murdered. 

Sixty years of lies will come crashing down in flames of treachery and blood, and the truth will send shockwaves through an entire nation.  Now the newest generation of Vasser heirs will have to deal with the consequences, or else allow their legacy to burn to the ground.

But dark secrets are buried deep within the family itself, and everyone has an agenda.  Love of family and forbidden passion will set off sparks in a powder keg ready to annihilate the empire, but it may also be the only thing keeping them whole.

When reputation is everything, it will take all they’ve got to save themselves from their own undoing.

Book Trailer…

But Wait…There’s More!

Also in celebration of both her birthday and the FREE promotion, Katie is unveiling the book cover and teaser trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to When Empires Fall…

Here is

Rise of the Notorious

Coming Spring 2013

Synopsis:

Finish, good lady; the bright day is done, and we are for the dark.

When their empire fell, darkness descended upon the Vasser Hotel family and shrouded them in chaos.  It was a darkness layered in violent sins and staggering deception, made only more potent by a haunting truth.  Murder, it seemed, was a burden they couldn’t escape.

With a scandal plaguing the family’s reputation, the Vasser heirs must rise to the occasion and utilize a killer’s advice to turn bad publicity into good, and tradition into innovation.

If only it was that easy.

In an elaborate game of hidden motives and sinister agendas, more dirty truths from the past will resurface, truths that could bring about victory or bloodshed.  But how will the Vasser siblings react when the real threat to their family not only has power and control on the mind, but assassination as well?  What will they do when it becomes clear that someone out there wants them destroyed, no matter the price?

The Vassers may have fallen from grace, but now they will rise as notorious.

About Katie Jennings…

Nothing can compare to the exhilaration of discovering, at last, a mode of release for the imagination. Mine came, after years of struggling to visualize my creativity, in the form of written word. I found myself with my nose constantly in a book, absorbing the life of the characters and the beauty of the setting. It was intoxicating, to say the least, and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to give writing a shot, and take the thousands of characters and storylines in my head and put them down on paper, and form them into something real and compelling.

In truth, I'm just a girl from a small town north of Los Angeles, with an imagination for days and thank goodness a keyboard at my fingertips. And even though my husband thinks I'm a nerd and my mom is undoubtedly my biggest fan, at the end of the day I'm loving life and enjoying giving breath to the characters living in my heart, and sharing with others all the creativity I can harness.

I believe in true love, and I've always believed in happy endings. And that is just the beginning of the story.

Connect with Katie…

Official Author Website

Facebook

 Twitter

Blog

 Amazon Author Page

exhausted

I've been working and writing my butt off lately and I'm exhausted. I'm still trying to get Consumed finished for publication by October 31, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to hit that self-imposed deadline. I will definitely have Created out for you before then. I'm just finishing up a few things and hope to have it up soon. I'll keep you posted as soon as I know what's going on. lol
My dad's coming to visit this weekend to add to the fun that is my life, so I've spent the last two weeks trying to figure out where my desk actually is. ;) It's been buried under notes, papers, scribbles and cat hair for longer than I care to admit.
The house looks nice, allergy shots are itching, Created is in the edit/publication stage and Consumed is about half-way to completion. All is going well in my busy busy life. I wish y'all a wonderful weekend and happy reading!
Don't miss my post tomorrow! My friend Katie Jennings is having a birthday eBook giveaway for her awesome new novel When Empires Fall. It's an amazing book and she's an excellent storyteller. :)

Finally.... Finished!

I don't know what it is about the last chapter of my books that makes me panic. I almost always write the last chapter sometime in the middle of the books, so it's not the actual last chapter of the book, but the last chapter I need to write for the book to be done that freaks me out. I sit and think about every negative aspect I can think about, wonder if I should scrap the whole thing as garbage, or just give up on writing all together.
To those of you who get to deal with my insanity on a daily basis, man, I feel for you! lol. For those of you who get the updates when my mind hasn't been fried from working and writing so much, count yourselves lucky. For the past two weeks, I've been trying to get through the last two and a half chapters of Created. I've been panicking and writing and hanging my head as I read through everything I've already written. I've gone from loving my work to feeling like it's all bullshit and should be burned. I've wept and screamed and laughed and cried some more. I've argued with people over the dumbest things and felt bad while I was doing so. I don't know what it is about the end of the books that make me feel like this.
The good news is, it's finished. Finally! My parent's are visiting next week for the weekend and my house is trashed. I've done absolutely nothing this past week besides work, sleep and write. I needed to get this done, to get past the stress of the end. I know once I start the edits, I'll be back to my normal psychotic self, but until then, ick.
I'm doing something a little different with this one, something I haven't really done with the others. I'm having beta readers. "What's that?" You ask. Good question. It took me forever to figure that out.
Apparently beta readers are people who read your work before it's published and give you feedback on it. They're kinda like editors, but not really. That is at least what I've figured out. I did my first beta reading last month, and am hoping to gain some good feedback this month for my book. This will be the first time I ever really have a delay between finishing a book and publishing it. It's very strange to me to be doing this, but I'd like to see if it helps the books sound any better.
I know what I want them to be, what they sound like in my head. I'm so close to the characters though, that it's hard to know if I put everything that's in my head down on paper. I don't always type as fast as I think and I don't always have access to a computer, paper or recorder when I come up with things that  help develop the characters. Here's to hoping beta readers help me find any gaps. :)
Sorry I've been off here for so long, I've been working my butt off trying to get this book done so I can work on Consumed to get them both out in October. Not sure if that's going to happen, but I'll at least have Created out then!
<3 y'all!

9-11-12

Eleven years ago we were struck with a tragedy no one really believed was happening. It was like something out of a bad B-movie. This stuff didn't happen in real life, not to us. When the second plane hit on live television, I still remember the gasps, the look of horror on people's faces. I still remember coming home after my appointment and wanting to stay home all day, hugging my then boyfriend (now husband) and calling all my family back east.
It's strange what you remember about certain days, how horrific acts can freeze an entire day in your memory, never to be forgotten. I remember every little detail of that day like it was yesterday, yet my actual yesterday is a blur.
I'm thankful to have not lost anyone that day. I'm thankful to have friends and family in the military who defend our great country in times of crisis. I'm thankful to live in a country where I'm free to express myself in any way I feel necessary as long as I'm not harming someone. I'm thankful today for so many things, things that I take for granted on other days.
It's my wish, my prayer, that we thank those that protect us, that defend our rights, and remain thankful not only for today, but every day of our lives.
To those who lost someone dear to them eleven years ago, my heart goes out to you. To the men and women in service (military, police, fire, emt) I thank you for everything you do every day. We truly would not be the country we are today if it weren't for people like you fighting for our rights and freedoms.
I will never forget.

One into two

No, it's not magic. At least, it certainly doesn't feel that way. I've officially decided to convert the ever lengthening Created into two shorter, yet still long in their own right, novels. I'm not finished with either one, so don't start jumping in your chair just yet. I'm still shooting for October as a release date, but still not sure if that's going to happen. I want to release them both at the same time.
I was brainstorming with a fan/friend last week and we came up with excellent title ideas and a percolating synopsis and cover art for the second book. I'm not too terribly worried about those two things as I usually don't do them until the books are finished anyway. I may still wind up putting the two back into one, but I doubt it. I'm keeping my options open. :)
The first is going to remain Created as it's quite literally the story of how Victoria became a created vampire. It is very, VERY dark. This book takes me to places even I don't want to go. After some scenes, I need a major chick flick movie break. The second is Consumed. Natasha and Stephan return in this one. It's full of romance, power and my emotional roller coaster that I love to take you on. ;) I still haven't seen all the twists that occur here. It's very exciting and I must say... I love Logan!
Anyway, I'll keep you posted as things develop. Cross your fingers and toes that things continue jamming and I can actually get these both out before October comes to a screeching halt. TTFN - I'm off to bed.

To the Ignorant.

One of my fellow Indie authors sent me a link to an interview with Ms. Grafton of the alphabet series. I have never read or purchased any of her books, and quite frankly, after reading this interview, I never will.
As you, my faithful followers, know, I've thought long and hard about publishing traditionally. You all know this is still something that I still think about from time-to-time. However, I'm Indie. In my heart and my soul, I'm an Indie author through-and-through. I've posted YouTube videos showing how I do the cover art for the books, you've read the frustrations and challenges I've faced as I try to figure out formatting, scenes, marketing and so-forth. Being an Independent Author is extremely difficult, frustrating and rewarding.
Ms. Grafton was stated as saying something to the effect that Indie authors were lazy, taking the easy road out and not perfecting their craft. She states that Indie authors don't take the time to develop their characters, do research or bother to edit their books before publication. We (The Indie authors) simply spew out some drivel, publish it for all to read, and wait for our multi-million dollar paychecks because we wrote a book and that's what we deserve.
After reading her interview I became rather angry and saddened by the ignorance of Ms. Grafton. Now, I will fully admit, there are authors out there who probably do fit her description. They're not solely in the Indie author field though. There are Traditionally published authors I refuse to read simply because they had someone else writing their books and they just went through and fine-tuned it, putting their name on it and spewing out dozens of books a year. There are other authors that even when traditionally published, their books are crap, in my humble opinion. They either start spewing out the same repetitive drivel over and over, or don't even bother sending them to the editor before publication.
I can't speak for every Indie author, just as I know in my heart, Ms. Grafton doesn't speak for every Traditional author, but I can tell you what I do when writing.
I don't expect millions when I write a book. I don't even think about the paycheck as I write my books. I rarely think about it after the book is out. I simply write a book that I want to read and hope that others enjoy it as much as I do and then move on to the next as the muse directs me.
I develop my characters. Perhaps I don't do it like everyone else, but that's the beauty of being an individual. I let my characters talk to me, think about their story, and tell me how they want it to go. Sometimes, when I try to explain my writing to others, I feel a bit schizophrenic. It's not quite like that.
I do research for all my books. I'm constantly researching things. Wether it's in the other books in the series, or sitting in the library reading up on ancient Incan civilizations, or mythology of Atlantis, I'm constantly trying to make my books believable, even though they are complete fiction.
I work full time nights. Anyone who's ever worked the night shift can understand what that does to a person. Those of you who haven't, well, we're a tad sleep-deprived and a little wacky. Things have to be done during the day time hours that cannot be done at night, errands have to be meticulously planned out and our lifestyles completely change because we work when our bodies want to rest. My husband works day shift. On the weekends, I stay up for 24+ hours so I can revert my schedule to a day shift and actually see him for a few hours. During the time when I'm not cooking, cleaning, working, or dealing with family dynamics that I will not discuss here, I write. I have to figure out time to talk to my wonderful fans on FB, Twitter, Blog, and other social media sites during the time I have set aside to write. I have to still try to get my novels out in a timely manor so that you, my beloved fans, don't cause a riot. lol.
This economy sucks. I'd love for nothing more than to write every day, all day long. I'd love to not have to go to my "real" job and have my writing pay my bills. Someday, I hope this happens. Those that know me personally, will tell you that I've always stated that I just want to live comfortably doing the thing I love doing, with the people I love around me. That to me is the perfect life. I've never wanted or expected millions. I don't want the uber-fame of JK Rowling, but I'd like my stories read. When people come up to me and discuss the books, what they liked and hated about them, that's where I get my rewards. Watching them light up as they discuss how the characters have endeared themselves to the reader, that's why I write. I love it.
Are my books absolutely 100% perfect. No. Are there any books out there without an error or two in them? Absolutely not. Do I strive for perfection in my books? You bet your ass I do. I go over my books repetitively. I can't afford to have someone else edit them, so I do all my own edits. I sit and meticulously read and re-read my novels until they look and sound like something I could be proud of. While I know there are probably a few grammatical errors throughout the books, I'm not perfect, neither is anyone else. I try. I do the absolute best I'm capable of doing with the resources I have available to me.
Most of the time, you, my wonderful readers, simply talk to me about the story line and how much it impacted your life. Very rarely do I have someone talk to me about grammar or sentence structure. My sister, who's a fanatic about spelling and sentence structure reads every book and helps me to make sure I'm not flubbing up and distracting the reader with commas, or lack there of. I think my books have increasingly gotten better since I first started writing. I'm very proud of how they've turned out.
As a rebuttal to Ms. Grafton, I work my ass off every day to try and put out a well-written and well-told story that people are going to want to finish. I love writing.
I think that any traditionally published author who believes what she's said, should try publishing a book Indie-style. I challenge anyone who believes Indie authors take the easy way out, to publish independently, without any type of income or name to stand behind. Create your own website, gain your own followers, market, promote, edit, format, copy rite, and publish your own book. Then, and only then will I listen to you. If you can still say to me that I've taken the easy way out, then and only then, will I quit writing.
In closing, she said something to the effect of "I think we’d all be well-advised to ignore the opinions of others." I both agree and disagree with this statement. I will ignore Ms. Grafton's ignorant opinion of Indie authors, but never will I ignore the opinions or reviews of my readers, wether ill or good. You are why I write. Your smiles, your tears, your frustrations, your giggles, your blushes, your "special" times after reading one of my books, this is truly why I write. I love writing. Listening to my characters, talking or reading reviews from y'all, and reading the story when it's finished, is amazing to me. Every time I finish a book I read it and think, "holy crap! I wrote this! I don't believe it!" I'm in awe. Reading or talking to you guys about my books makes it worth while. Even negative reviews are good to have. They help me learn and grow. Also, if someone were to take the time to post a heated negative review about my book, I know I must have touched a nerve, and therefore have still succeeded as an author. I write to impact, to bring emotions to the front, to help you escape from your everyday life. I write because I love it. I wouldn't know if I was succeeding as an author if I ignored the opinions of others. 

Muse

One never knows just when or where the muse will strike. For me, today, it was while I was driving home from work. Last night I spent my limited down time doing some much needed edits as I still didn't feel great and didn't want to write. I've divided Changed into a two-parter and am very happy with that decision. That all said, I've been working on the first half, the much darker half, of the story for the past week. I was editing the second part last night. I have no intensions of adding to that story just yet. I want to wait until I'm closer to the end of the first half.
Whew! Now that the background is taken care of, let me tell you about this morning. :)
While driving home, listening to my headphones, the muse decides to hit me up with an incredible scene. I'm 20 minutes away from my house and work. In the middle of freaking NOWHERE with no pen, no paper and no recorder. Not that I'm all excited to use a recorder, but... (I hate the sound of my voice played back. I always think I sound like I'm 12) So I hit the pedal just a tad and replay the scene in my head, over and over and over, along with the cd I was listening to.
I got home and promptly sat at my desk to write 1760 words in less than an hour.
This scene is great. I'm super excited. I also want to strangle my muse!
A. I don't want to write in this book yet
B. I'M DRIVING!!!!
C. I'm nowhere near where this scene is yet
and D. What happens next?!?! Argh!
She does this to me all the time, gives me a snippet of awesomeness and then hides to see if I can come up with anything nearly so amazing without her. We usually work very well together, but sometimes she has a stroke of genius and pops into my head with amazing scenes. I can't wait to get to this scene. I can't wait to finish these books. Victoria's story is so complex, so amazing and so much frigging fun to write! I totally and completely LOVE writing!!!

Thoughts

I've been very overwhelmed lately about Created. I'm already at 200 pages and I haven't even reached the half-way point. I'm not sure if I should keep going or separate the book into two books. I've been talking to my beta readers and some adults I know that enjoy reading, and so far, everyone's thoughts are that I should separate the book.
I am apparently in the minority when I say I like long, epic books. Now, I have nothing against the average sized books, heck, I write them, but sometimes I really enjoy a 700+ page book. Not all the time, but I like being able to get into the story and have it last for a long time.
That all being said, I think I may divide up Created and publish both halves at about the same time. There's just so much information and so much involved in this story I feel like I wouldn't do it justice if I cut or abbreviated scenes to keep the book at a reasonable length. Even with separating it, I think they both may reach or exceed 300 pages.
I'm excited. Victoria's story is deep, dark and so much fun to write. She's such a complex character that has such heart and spirit, I love examining her depth. She's such a strong woman (vampire) and I absolutely adore Logan. I can't wait to share them both with you! I'm shooting for an October release date, but not sure if that's going to happen. Wish me luck! :)

Blech

That's how I'm feeling today. Blech. I want to write, and I've written 2K+ words already, but I wanted to finish this section and combine these two, but it looks like I'm going to have to do another chapter before I combine. ugh for me, yea for you. :)
My new helmet arrived for my motorcycle and I rode to and from town today. I want to go on an epic ride right now but don't really have any epic places to go at the moment. Everything is just ugh for me right now. I hate falling into slumps. I've gotten so much accomplished today, maybe I should just cave and either go play a game or paint the two pictures I've been wanting to paint for a while. I don't want to record them though. I also still need to get my butt moving on a new, updated pict of me and my reading's for youtube. I feel like such a slacker today. lol
I'm going to get off my behind, finish the laundry and paint. Maybe.

It's raining, it's pouring

The thunder rolls by as the lightning crackles down the street. I'm buried amongst the blankets in my bed with the black-out shades drawn. It's about 5 pm but looks like midnight. I twitch slightly at the sound of the lightning, wondering how close it was but quickly soothed back to unconsciousness by the patter of pouring rain on my roof and window.
My husband comes into the room, flicking on every light imaginable and carrying Frost, a 20lb cat who still firmly believes he's a 5 month old kitten.
"Babe, it's big thunderboomers outside and the cat's are scared." he announces, concern and excitement filling his voice.
"So bring them in and turn off the light." I reply, groggy and a bit irritated. I don't wake up well.
He plops Frost onto the king-sized bed. Saphyra, Frost's sister, jumps up and lays on top of him as he curls as close as he can to my bent knees.
My husband then opens Satan's room and brings her and the kitten into the room. Satan proceeds to growl at everyone while snuggling as close as she can get to my head. This is not a good spot for the cat who hates cats. She has a tendency to attack and I don't like claw marks on my face.
The kitten, Orion, decides that he's scared yet happy to be able to be cuddling with "mommy" and proceeds to kneed, purr and suckle the blankets tucked tightly under my chin. Satan alternates between growling at the kitten, whacking him, and giving him kisses. I swear that cat is clinically insane.
I can still hear the rain pouring down in sheets on the house. It's the most soothing sound behind the cat's purrs to me. I love the rain and don't hear nearly enough of it, living in the desert.
Husband brings in Gunther, Frost and Saphyra's brother, who immediately hisses and bounds off the bed to hide in some obscure corner. He's not big on cuddling. Onyx meanders into the room making his guttural mrow noises in the back of his throat. I call him over just as my husband starts to talk again.
"Babe, the entire bottom of your car is flooded." He says with excitement. We don't see a whole lot of water.
"Really?" I reply with a hint of interest. I've never seen the street that covered in water, even when I lived in Florida. I start stirring and gently moving cats off of me so I can go see this novelty and take some pictures. I know this won't be something I see very often, if ever again. I'm just barely peeling myself out from underneath the pile of four cats when he comes back into the room to tell me with an excited, awed and annoyed voice that the fence has also blown down.
I put on my glasses, grab my camera phone and look out the window of my office to my car. There's about 2-4 inches of wheel covered in water and that's it. Talk about your disappointments. I head to the backyard thinking, "gee, if he exaggerated about the car, certainly the fence is still okay."
I open the back door.
"Holy crap!" I exclaim. I'm looking directly into my neighbor's back yard from my patio. Our side fence is completely horizontal. All I can think of is, "damnit, now their rat-dogs are going to poop in my backyard and this is going to be crazy expensive to fix. Maybe we should replace this fence with that white, plasticy-looking fence. Maybe then it wouldn't crack in half." I'm not entirely fond of small dogs and my neighbor has two that yip all day and night. This is also the second time in three years that this particular part of the fence has broken. Wooden fences don't do well here. It's too dry and the winds are crazy.
I take a few pictures of the damaged fence, as well as the damaged gate in the front yard that I've been asking him to replace for three years now. It looks as if he has no choice but to fix it, thanks to the rain. I take a picture of my flower garden that's completely drowning in water and wonder if he wasn't right; maybe my car had flooded and I missed it.
The cats follow me around the house, waiting by the doors as I leave and return. I sit in the middle of the floor and they crowd around me, all attempting to sit in my lap without touching each other. I giggle at their antics, cooing and petting each one of them so they know they're safe and loved.
Now that I've been awakened, my darling husband announces that he's going to take a nap.
I try to lay back with him and Orion starts suckling and mewing. Saphyra hisses and growls and Satan thinks I'm her personal chew toy. I sigh in resignation, knowing that while my husband is already snoring, I'm up for the day.
As I write this, the sun attempts to peek from behind the clouds. The water drains, leaving behind a moist earth and street. In another hour it won't even look like it had rained all day long.
The cats are calming down, each curling into their favorite spots as Bry's gentle snores can be heard over the clicking of my keyboard. I sigh in resignation, hoping to be called off tonight, but knowing that this is just the start of another long night. Perhaps tomorrow I'll sleep more than 6 hours.

Zombie War: Little Apocalypse on the Prairie

YIPPIE! I finally have this published and ready for you! YEA! I've been working my little tail off trying to get this completed and out. I'm two months behind my desired release date, so I guess that's not too bad. ugh. I'm actually very excited at how this book turned out. It's not quite as gory as the first, but it's very suspenseful. I can't wait for you to read it and hear what you have to say about it!
Thanks for your demand and patience as I come up with this story. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Love ya and happy reading!

Zombie War #2

YEA!!! Zombie War: Little Apocalypse on the Prairie will be officially released Monday, July 16 as an eBook!!!! The cover art was finished last week and the synopsis was finished last night. I just have to finalize the edits, format and you are all set to read! Are you as excited as I am? :)

I'll keep you posted on the release date for the paper back. It shouldn't be too far behind. :)
~Jean

Frustrated

I'm so frustrated right now with so much in my life. Sometimes I feel like I should give up on my dreams and just do what everyone else wants me to do with my life. That little voice of doubt inside my head starts talking, saying things that I fear to be true and I don't know how to ignore it.
I've been writing very difficult scenes in Created this week as Zombie War #2 is finished. It's bringing me into a very dark place that I don't like to be in, yet she has to live it just as others do. It sucks. It's painful. It's life. Her story is making me need to tell mine more and more each day I write. Problem is, I don't want to relive my life. Sigh.
My old boss who's now just my nurse was reading Changed last night. She couldn't put it down and kept talking to me about it. She says that I write similarly to the person who wrote 50 Shades, that I'm very intriguing and captivating even though that's not the type of story she normally reads. I love watching people read the books. I love when people hate me for becoming so attached to the characters that they cry when bad things happen to them. I love watching the emotions cross their faces. But what I love most about it is talking to them about the book afterwords to see if they got the connections I set in place. When I can get across the pain, struggle, joy and experiences in a way that others can understand and appreciate, that makes my day.
I keep hoping and praying for the best, yet some days the little grey cloud blocks out all my sunshine.

Crazy week

I found a kitten in my garden and have no idea what to do with him. Let me explain what an absolute bleeding heart I am when it comes to cats. I am the crazy cat lady your family warned you about, yet I also have OCD, so I'm a very CLEAN crazy cat lady. I have 8 cats already; one of which has to stay in her own room because she hates cats. Yes, you read that correctly.
Now this kitten is probably about 2-4 months old, black with three equally spaced white spots on his belly and has brown eyes. He's adorable. He's growling at all the other cats, playing with toys and being attacked by a couple of my 17lb adult cats. He's been in our house for 3 days now and I can't bring myself to put him outside. I've even named him. I know, I'm an idiot.
Anyway, one of my friends agreed to give him as a present to her daughter for her birthday in September. Trouble is, by then am I going to be too attached to this little stinker and will they all get along by then? If the answer to that question is yes, how do I part with him?
<shakes head> Frustrating situations I put myself in. I keep telling people I don't need to be involved in their drama as I cause enough on my own, but no one believes me....
My sister's 30th birthday was Thursday. I took her to the hot springs we used to go to and can honestly tell you I have no desire to ever return. The drive to get there plus the fee to get in wasn't worth the pools. They were all cracked, slimy, uneven, and really gross. I had a very difficult time relaxing as I was more concerned about what I was contracting than how the sulfuric water was purifying and soothing me. Furthermore, we swam in the pool that was discolored and had a grainy bottom. The bottom used to be cement. Also, my bathing suit fell apart. That was fun. I had a bikini skirt that turned into a calf-length skirt instead of a mini. I'm sunburnt BELOW my suit line on my chest. I've never had that happen before. I had no idea swimsuits could fall apart like that. It's only 2 years old too. I don't swim that much!
So today, I took her to see Magic Mike. We loved it. The dancing scenes are worth the price of admission and I wish they had clubs like that here. I'd never have any money. lol. The scenes not involving stripping, depicted the lifestyle of a clubber and how Mike grows to realize that lifestyle isn't for him. He wants something more for himself. I thought that was a good movie premise in and of itself. I like watching how people grow. All-in-all, if you're a woman, or a gay man, go see this movie. Straight men I think would be way too embarrassed to watch this. It was fun, entertaining and exciting.
I'm now sitting at my computer with the cat that hates cats (Damona aka: Satan), writing and avoiding the completion of Zombie #2. I'm pages away and have to edit and publish. I'll get it finished mid-July, I'm just procrastinating. I'm good at that.
I hope y'all have a great weekend! As for me, I'm tired and Damona's purring is putting me to sleep. :)

Super busy

When I start getting into the grove of writing and such I forget that I have this lovely blog that I actually do love. So sorry for taking so long to update you on the happenings! Bad Jean! lol
Anyway, my WriCha challenge has been submitted to Zoe. I'm excited for this to be viewed and to get your opinion on it. It's completely different from anything else I've written and was really fun to do.
Zombie War 2: Little Apocalypse on the Prairie is in the final stages of completion. Whew! I'm working on the last chapter and then have edits, a synopsis and publication. The goal is to have it available to you by my birthday, July 16. After that I'm free to concentrate solely on Created. I really want to get this book out this year! I've been a little intimidated by the length and details, but I know it's my best book so far and you're absolutely going to LOVE it!!! Victoria's story is so dark and interesting. I've been rooting for her so much, but things keep happening to her that are way out of my control. I love writing.
Another awesome thing I've been working on is my website. I officially have a website!
JeanBooth.wix.com/Author
Check it out if you have a minute. I'm very excited about it and will spend some time in the next six months trying to figure out how to make it a bit more interactive. I want to put a page up for those of you who are obsessing on who should play certain characters in the movie (should Origins ever be picked up as a movie). I also want to put a comment page up so readers can see what other readers are saying about the books. As of right now though, I like the website and think you will too. I'm crazy excited to have my very own website and feel like a total dork because of that. :)
Anyway, I should get back to the wonderful world of Zombies now. Take care and happy reading!

Birthday

It's my husband's birthday today! Happy Birthday to him! He's working and we're not doing a darn thing for him this year. I feel bad, but after a certain year, it's kinda pointless to celebrate every birthday, unless you have kids. We don't. We have cats. They don't really care if it's our birthday or not, unless they get treats. lol.
He doesn't really care about his birthday, never has in the twelve years we've been together, but I love being able to celebrate birthdays with people. I think they're fun. Anyway, he's older today, and I'm very glad to have been able to spend the past twelve years with him, watching as he's grown into the man I always believed him to be. Love you babe! :)

Ponderings

I've been thinking a whole lot about my past the past few weeks. I started a memoir a few months ago and thought to myself as I wrote it, "I can only do this when I don't have to go to a night job and am able to visit the sun." Writing this story would be fictionalized a bit because I don't remember a whole lot of things. I chose not to remember them. Some things have been sneaking past my barriers lately and I want to share them. I just don't know if I should.
Telling this story is extremely painful and difficult. It'd hurt a whole lot of people and I don't want to do that. I dislike hurting people. The question is, should I write it, should I show others out there that have had similar things happen to them in their past, that you can overcome difficulties and lead a healthyish life? Is it worth it to risk the pain I might inflict on others? I just don't know. I know I want to write it, yet I also know I'll need a whole heck of a lot of love and support while I do. It will take me places I refuse to go, open wounds I'd closed a long time ago. I know I'm not ready for that. I use my pain, my frustrations, my insecurities, my hopes, my dreams and little bits of me in all of my writing. If I write my story, would all that go away in my other writings? Would it get worse, or better? Do I even want to risk that?
Writing Victoria's story has hit closer to home than I thought it would and has forced me to reflect on some very personal battles. She and I have suffered and have loved more than we ever should've. We've maintained our hope for love, for a better life throughout extreme difficulties. Situations that others would've cowered from, we've gained strength. I absolutely love her story. It's hard to write because it's so close to home, but it's absolutely powerful and profound.
I've finally gotten to the scene where she turns into a vampire. This has been a very difficult scene for me to write because it brings Victoria down to her absolute lowest point in her life. It's painful, degrading and difficult for her to bear. I find I don't like causing my characters pain, but this has to happen. I've already created her as a vampire. She has to be Created somehow. We've been avoiding this for months now, writing other scenes, expanding on her history, all to simply avoid becoming a monster. Is being a blood sucking fiend a monster, or is it what's in your heart that makes you that? I really just want to jump to the ending, to see if she ever finds happiness, or if it continues to elude her until her dying breath. Even I don't know that answer yet.
Hopefully in the next few days she and I will gather our courage and go through the event that destroys her. Hopefully she'll come out of it in tact and realize that it's what's in your heart that's important. Your heart dictates your personality, how you'll react to something. If you have a good heart, you'll be a good person. That's what I believe anyway.
Well, I'm off to attempt to write a bit. I hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

Wricha Update

I've finally completed my Wricha short story, The Island. I was surprisingly able to keep it under 3000 words without cutting anything. I was also able to keep it in the general vicinity of my genre without leaving the PG rating. That was harder than I thought it be. When I started, I picked this prompt in order to travel outside my comfort zone. I started writing and found myself stubbornly headed back into it. It's still very unique to my writing, still something I'd never have written about if I thought about it, but you can still hear my voice and the undertones of my style. While there's absolutely no sex or graphic details of gore or romance, that doesn't mean it isn't implied. I like it. I know now that I'll probably never write a YA novel, but this was fun and extremely challenging for me. I've never been given guidelines to write in before. It was fun to try to get you to care about the characters as well as encompass the requirements of the challenge all into an extremely short story.
I can't wait until it goes live in July! :)
Happy Reading!

Would your 5-yr old self be proud of you?

Someone asked me this the other day and I'm surprised at how much this question has stuck with me. I honestly don't know if my 5-year old self would be proud of who I am today or not.
I know the deeper meaning behind this question, the question that this person was really asking. It was do you still hold joy and awe with life like you did when you were an innocent 5-year old?
The trouble is, I've never been innocent. I didn't have what anyone would call a normal or healthy childhood and was forced by circumstances beyond my control to grow up very quickly. I knew things most adults didn't understand by the time I was 8.
I'd like to think that childhood me would be proud of who I was today, after all, I'm still alive. There was a point where I didn't think I'd achieve even that. There are few things I'll let myself remember about being five. One was that I absolutely wanted more than anything to have a cat. I now have 8. Another was that I wanted to be a Veterinarian and keep all the dogs and cats healthy. I'm allergic to animals and can't handle being around that much allergen in a day. I wanted more than anything to have a family, to know what it was like to have both parents together who loved and cherished their daughter more than anything else in the universe. I wanted more than anything at that age, to be a mother when I grew up. I'm married and have 8 cats. I will not have children. This still pains a small portion of my heart, but it's not something I can change. I've learned to love my cats as children and be a good aunt to my nieces.
I work hard at overcoming the pain and insecurities in my soul. My husband tries to be very understanding and he succeeds more often than not. I believe it's my cats who help me to learn and cherish innocence. Their joy and excitement at simply being able to roll around in the dirt in the backyard helps to remind me that life isn't full of stressors and pain. There's joy in the little things life has to offer.
While I wasn't the joyful, innocent, carefree child at age 5, I believe I've learned how to see aspects of life that way.
So, yes. I believe my 5-year old self would be proud of me. Would yours?

Oregano and Hives

I've had the joy (aka: miserable, horrific, AWFUL, painful; the antithesis of joy) of having chronic hives for exactly one year now. They haven't gone away no matter what I do to encourage them to leave. The only time I was rid of them for a few weeks was when I was on a very high dose of prednisone. I also ate constantly because steroids suck.
Imagine if you will, large red welts covering various parts of your body for months at a time. Then add to it the worst itching you can possibly think of. Now live every day like that. Here's the kicker- you aren't supposed to itch. You try not itching unless your asleep; then you wake up with holes scratched in your arms, legs and torso because you didn't realize what you were doing - you were asleep. Feel what it's like for just a moment to have your clothing rubbing against your skin and irritating it further until you have 1/4 inch welts along your sock, pant, undergarment, and sleeve lines. Every day.
Now go out in public. When you look like you've got the plague, people treat you like you've got the plague. No one talks to you, they run when you start down the isle, and checkers actually sanitize their hands as you leave their lane.
Even my friends shy away from me when I come close.
Hives aren't contagious. They're an allergic reaction to some allergy or stress or both. Some people just have them. They suck. You CANNOT contract them by touching them. It's impossible.
I had a brilliant (aka: stupid to the nth degree) idea in September. I love oil of oregano. It helps with any upper respiratory thing I've ever had; so I thought, "if it helps with a cold, why not hives?" I rubbed it all over my arms and legs. What did I have to lose? I already repulsed everyone who saw me - I couldn't really get worse, could I?
Here's the thing you have to know about oil of oregano. It burns like acid. Usually when I take it, I chase it with a nice tall glass of fruit/veggie juice. You can't really do that on your skin. It burns. Badly. Fruit juice just makes your skin sticky. As the tears were streaming down my face and thoughts of death by oregano flitted through my head, I scrubbed my skin clean.
It took a few hours but my skin actually looked better. It wasn't perfect, but at least people would talk to me in public again. I was cured!
Or so I thought.
The hives have spread to an extremely sensitive area that I never actually thought could actually get hives. I oregano-ed them today. Screams could be heard in the next town.

I've inadvertently discovered the best way to torture someone. One drop of Oregano Oil on a mucous membrane will have you telling secrets you never even knew you had. Cut the skin and let the oil under the surface and I can practically guarantee the end of any other torture device known to man. And - it's ALL NATURAL so doesn't actually hurt you - it just feels like you're going to die.

WriCha update

So, I started my WriCha project thinking, " 2,000-5,000 words; piece of cake! I'll have this done this weekend." Oh how wrong I was.
First of all I realized something about myself. I like backstory and describing things.
Secondly, did you know that 5,000 words is only about 16 pages double spaced TNR type?!? Ummm, that's too short for me!
I'm now completely freaking out.
I wrote the initial scene, which is always the hardest for me; and I was very surprised to discover that I loved it. I then decided to go back to do a bit more character development and wrote four beautiful (condensed) pages that lead up to the plane crash that's the first scene. I still have to write over 3 months of future events and I only have 12 pages to do it in - MAX!!!
Sigh. This really is a fun project, but it's frustrating because I've never done a challenge before and I've never had limitations set on my writing. It's exciting and annoying all at the same time. I may keep the back story in there for the time being and then cut it all out at the end. I just hope you care about what happens to the characters without really knowing too much about them. I've already passed my min word count, we'll see how much I have to cut to meet the guidelines.

WriCha - The interview with the founder, Zoe Harrington

What promoted you to come up with the WriCha challenge? 


 I'm still a full-time student, in my last year of school before college-- bearing in mind this is the English school system-- and I have a bunch of exams this month and next. I knew it wouldn't be right if I continued to blog whilst they were going on. Writing and blogging is like a part time job and I can't revise effectively if my mind is somewhere else.
What's this got to do with WriCha, you say?
I wanted something big for the blog to make up for lack of posts. I owe it to the readers I have. WriCha came to me quite quickly. I wanted something original, but I wanted it to work similarly to memes like NaNoWriMo and the A-Z blogging challenge. I suppose you could say the idea was born from loyalty to my readers... :-)


What authors can we expect this year for the challenge and what are they going to be writing about? 


The list of authors is on the post wich you can find on my blog here -> http://bit.ly/JTLQrq 
There's a mixture of writers with very different writing styles and personalities. I speak to all of them, some more often than others, and I know they all have talent. Also, they write different genres and some are working out of their comfort zone for WriCha. Their choice not mine, and I appreciate that.

Hmm, the prompts they are using vary from being stranded on an island or kidnapped to a mysterious briefcase or love down the vegetable isle! I can't really say what they're writing, because I don't know! Each prompt gives them a basic premise. The genre, style and other things are completely up to them.


Are you participating, or just promoting it?


 I think it's only fair if I participate. As much as us writers love to write, asking others to do so and sitting back to watch isn't fair. You won't be seeing my progress with the updates though! I have to start writing from mid June. Which gives me only 15 days to write, revise and edit the short story. It's a tight squeeze but I'm willing to try.


 What are your expectations for the challenge?


Expectations...hmmm. Well I expect some effort and a polished piece because this challenge has a large amount of promotion in it. If I'm promoting an author, it's best they have a quality final product because it's their readers-- and new ones-- that will see it.

I don't really know what my expectations are. My hopes are that they enjoy participating, and that WriCha is a success. I'd love to continue WriCha as a yearly meme; but that depends on it's success this time around. *fingers crossed*


Can we expect to see the short-stories in an Indie collection, and if so, when?


 Oh, Jean, you had to ask didn't you! ;-)
I AM considering putting the stories into a collection. I haven't actually approached the authors about this yet. I've been going over what the cover might look like in my head and how I'd achieve this. Take my answer as a maybe, and bear in mind it's not just up to me. It's up to all participants whether they want their story in the collection. As for when to expect it; I have no idea. Christmas? Next year? Could be anytime if it happens!


Are you working on anything else, or solely concentrating on the WriCha challenge?


  Well, excluding exams, I'm concentrating solely on WriCha. My own writing has to take a back seat, as much as I hate to say that. After WriCha, I have a heap of reviews to post so I don't know when I'll be writing again. It's like a four month writing vacation. Hell, in other words.


Thanks so much for the idea as well as chatting with me Zoe! I know I'm really excited to jump out of my comfort zone and write a short story about being stranded on an island. :) It sounds like you're having a busy time the next couple of months as well. Good luck with your story and your exams! I personally would love to see WriCha as a collection of short-Indie-Authored-stories! 
Good luck to you and all the other writers - I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! 

WriCha

My friend Zoe Harrington has come up with a writing challenge called WriCha and asked me to participate.
You can find all the specs on her blog here -> http://bit.ly/JTLQrq
I'm currently writing about a plane crash into a deserted island and what happens after. I'm up to 450 words and am trying to figure out how to keep this short. (this is proving to be the Biggest challenge for me!) You know it's not just going to be any kind of island - there's got to be a twist. ;) Keep checking up on her blog and mine for updates!
To all of you who are lamenting the wait for Created and Zombies, have no fear! I'm still working my tail off on those two books. I'm stuck at a difficult scene for Victoria right now and have been having muse issues with Zombies, but I'm still writing on them both every chance I get. I'm going to get them both out before the end of the year. I don't know how, but it's going to happen! :)
Toodles!

Emotionally charged day

Today my youngest sister gets married, my good friend has her going away party, my niece turns one and my brother comes to visit, making sure he doesn't take time off of work to do so. I remember when my little sister, Becca, was 2 and would call the Nutcracker the Quckernucket. Now she's getting married and starting her life with her own family. I remember changing my brother's diapers. Now he's got a career and a life of his own to juggle like the rest of us.
I was in Baltimore last year visiting my BFF for the first time in 7 years and meeting my three new nieces. I miss them all terribly. My friend is moving there and a big part of me wants to go with her, to be cocooned in the love of the family I chose. I miss so many people so much. It breaks my heart a little every day knowing I can't be there to love and support them like I want to.
I feel old. I don't know where the time went. It always seems that you'll have more time to watch as people grow up, more time to catch up later, more time to get used to the idea that they're growing up - just as you did.
Truth is, there isn't more time. You only have what's there in front of you. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Pintrest

I started pinning this week. I'd like to be able to upload more of my photos, but I seem to have difficulties with that. hmm. Anyway, Pintrest seems interesting. It's strange how people discover you on these sites. I don't know about 90% of the people that repin things, but am glad they're enjoying my pins. :)
On another note, I haven't done anything with my books this week. I've been in so much pain from this stupid crown fiasco that I haven't been able to function. It's been an effort to not snap at everyone I encounter. Two more weeks until the permanent crown is set. Hopefully this one will be better and the pain will disappear.
I've been reading this week, as much as I can to distract myself. I'll post reviews on B&N, Amazon, and Goodreads probably Thursday. I want to finish the two books I'm reading now before I post. I also am working on another project for networking that I think you'll find interesting. As soon as I have it together, I'll let you know!
Anyway, I have to go attempt to paint the cover to Created now. I know what I want it to look like, but I'm really not sure if what's in my head will transpire on canvas. I'm excited to try though! :)

Pain

I've realized this weekend that I don't handle tooth pain well at all. Not even a little bit.
Short and condensed pain killer induced Story:
Years ago I had a crown placed on a top molar. The dentist I went to said he should've done a root canal, but thought the crown would be okay. He should've done the root canal. I had a very dull pain for about 7 years from that tooth. I adapted and changed my eating habits. A few years ago my insurance changed and I switched Dentists. I absolutely love my new Dentist. He redid my crown, changed it to a root canal and then sent me to a specialist because I still had pain. The specialist told me I was "Special" I had a hidden nerve that doesn't typically show up on x-rays, but affects a small amount of people. He told me that in order to relieve the pain I was having, he'd have to go in, slice my gum open, sever the nerve ending and sew me back up. Seeing as how I typically want to gut someone when they stick a needle in my mouth, I wasn't having any of that.
My dentist ended up filing my tooth a bit so my bite was different. I was finally out of pain and SO HAPPY!!!
He then dropped a bombshell on me: I needed to replace an old, filled cavity with a crown. With my less than pleasant experience with the last crown, I basically told my Dentist where he could stick his drill. :) I wasn't having pain in that tooth so I didn't see any reason to replace the filling with a crown. He sent the pre authorization to my insurance, and God love my husband, he paid for it in advance. I now had no excuse not to get the stupid crown. I scheduled the appointment.
Thursday I went to the Dentist and he fitted me for my temporary crown and sent my tooth mould out so he could get the permanent crown made. He has a new Assistant. I hate new people. I like consistancy. I like to know what I'm going to get and what to expect, especially with the Dentist. New people make me nervous and I'm already agitated enough just going to the Dentist.
Something happened with the temporary crown and it fell off my tooth on Friday. I've felt like someone's been stabbing frozen ice picks through my entire jaw and right ear for three days. I've been nauseated, exhausted and hungry. It hurt to eat, drink and sleep. Basically my life has completely sucked for the past three days.
Today I went back and got the tooth re-cemented. The Assistant informed me that my gum under that tooth was extremely irritated and inflamed. She had the dentist give me some painkillers so I could finally get more than 3 hours of sleep. The best news is I can finally eat!!!! I'm so happy I could cry!
Bottom line: I don't deal with tooth pain well at all. I've been holed up in my bed, reading and trying not to cry since Friday afternoon. This has completely sucked.
The next time my Dentist mentions a crown I may end up showing him where to put his drill....

Writer's Conference

I went to my first ever Writer's Conference today. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had fun. It was interesting, informative and forced me to step outside my comfort zone and actually speak to strange people. I swear, the entire time I was there, I thought I was going to vomit; I was so nervous. I was kind of frustrated though, because the speakers that were there mostly talked about non-fiction and memoir writing and publishing. I would rather pull my toenails out with rusty pliers than relive my childhood for a memoir and the thought of writing non fiction causes my brain to become catatonic, so...
What I found interesting was that agents and publishers in today's market want you to have a following, a pre-estabilished fan base to show that you are marketable. I get that from their perspective, but here's the clincher: I met with an agent today and talked about getting represented and traditionally published. She told me that her firm, along with most agencies, will NOT pick up previously published books.
How do you build a fan base and followers if they can't read what you have to write?
I feel like I'm stuck in a cyclic cycle of frustration that will never end. I want to self-publish because I love it and my books get out faster, but I'd love to see the books on shelves and have my books marketed by professionals. I can't get with the professionals unless I've established a large fan base, but there's no point in my mind to go traditional publishing then because obviously I can do just fine without them. Sigh.
All-in-all the conference was informative and fun, but probably not something I'd do again unless I was supporting a friend or if there was someone there that I desperately wanted to talk to, like Kim Harrison or Kelly Armstrong. Now that would be an interesting Writer's Conference. :)

So busy!

Between working full time, writing, editing, publishing and networking with people, I have zero time to myself. My family gets really irritated with me, but I keep trying to remind them of the bigger picture. Someday, I'll only write. That will be a glorious day for me! I dream of the day when all I have on my to do list is writing and some fun stuff. I have no idea what I'll do with myself then. lol. We also had a really bad windstorm here the other day, and I've been sick as a dog since. I'm working thorough it though and starting to feel more human today.
Created is blossoming more than I could've ever imagined it would. Victoria's story holds more depth to it than even I was prepared for. This is going to be a very long book. I'm both excited and intimidated by this prospect. I'm finishing chapter 5 and still haven't gotten close to her transformation, but already so much has happened. It's exciting and challenging and everything I wanted to write in a book. I'm so excited to finish this and share it with you!
Zombie War has been poking about in my psyche for the past week, and I've been letting it percolate. The story is flowing in a different way than The Beginning did, and I've finally accepted the changes. This one is going to be more suspenseful and possibly less gory, but have no fear - the gore will be there! I'm going to work on that series this weekend and hopefully I'll gain a foothold in the plot. There's a whole lot going on in Zombie War and I'm excited to pursue it again.
All-in-all, I've been a very busy person.

Happy Dance

I'm sitting in my chair doing a crazy little happy dance because The Lascivious Transformation just passed the 700 download marker! I'm super excited about this!!!
Whoop dee doo, you say? Well, I say yippie!!! That's 700+ crazy people like me who like untraditional erotic writing in 2 1/2 months, with some of that time consisting of the book being off the shelves due to censorship issues and absolutely zero marketing, except for my blog, twitter and fb account. That to me is awesome! It means people are starting to read me, to get to know the type of writer I am and will start following me! It means that things are finally looking in the positive direction for my writing career.
**Big sigh of relief**
I'm devoting this weekend to reviews and at least half a day each of Zombies and Created. The zombie sequel has been nudging at my psyche this past week, and I think it's time to try to venture back into the blood and guts and gore of the zombie apocalypse. I haven't been liking what's been turning up on the pages, but I've had some fan/friends read what's there already and they love it. It's not as gory and intensely graphic as the first, at least not yet, but it's very suspenseful. I'm three chapters into it, and know without a doubt that this one will be at least twice as long as the first one, if not longer.
I've got Choice and Changed in the hands of some well-known paranormal romance fanatics, and I'm praying they like them and they get good reviews. I'll keep you posted as I go along.
The cats are really getting sick of me coming home and sitting in front of the computer or sleeping, so I think I'm going to have to go spend some mommy-kitty time with them. Hopefully soon, I won't have to leave to go to work, and they can just deal with me at the computer for a few hours a day while I spend more time with them. That's my dream.

Created

I've been working on Victoria's story- Created. So far I absolutely love it. Her story is complex, deeply dark and fun to write. It starts out with her in the here and now and quickly goes to three years before her transformation (1610). It's fun because I'm learning so much about Incan and Spanish history as well as adding my own twist to how the insane Atlantean warrior will affect the culture of her small village life. It's historical romance with a supernatural twist. It's been hard to keep my head in the different culture as well as trying to show Mneseus' insanity from Victoria's perspective. 

The more I write in this series, the harder it is to keep everything in order. I've always hated it as a reader to read the third or fifth novel and notice a huge issue with the time flow. I've worked really hard on my series to keep the timeline and character's abilities in sync. I definitely have more respect and understanding for the authors that I used to get annoyed with. This is difficult! :) 

It's so much fun to get into Victoria's head though. She's such a complicated and deep character, a trait that I don't think anyone's noticed yet. She's always been comfortable hiding in the shadows and staying away from the lime light, so I'm really excited that she wants her story told.

I have the outline for it in my head and I'll be surprised if it's under 300 pages. This will be my longest book to date. I'm nervous about that, but really happy. So far I have the Prolog and the first two and a half chapters written, as well as a partial chapter that's a bit further into the storyline. It's really exciting to watch this story progress. Mneseus seems like a normal, battle-hardened warrior, but in reality he's one of the most unstable characters I've ever seen. He should've been killed decades ago, but Stephan is tired of destroying his old friends and Mneseus is retaliating by collecting Victoria. She reminds him of his dead wife and he wants to recreate in her what he lost during Atlantis' sinking. Victoria is thrust into a culture she doesn't understand and has to learn things from an insane shape-shifter. I can't wait to finish this and share it with you! I'm so excited about this story! I should go and type some more! 

Agented... to be, or not to be?

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's day! I actually like this holiday, as I try to wear the least amount of green to see if anyone pays attention. When I was little, if someone pinched you and you were actually wearing green, you got to punch them. I liked punching people. I still do. Perhaps I have a bit of an anger issue, who knows, who cares, I just like to see how many people pay attention to the little things. :)
Saphyra is doing her best to push the boundaries we've set while I write. She's sitting with her front paw directly on the smallest corner of my keyboard. She knows she's not supposed to sit on my hands or on the keys, so she's pushing boundaries to see if she'll get in trouble or if I'll cave and cuddle with her. Usually we compromise and I have a nice kitty couch set up on the chair next to me. They sleep there while I'm on the computer and occasionally I reach over and pet them. The corner of the couch rests against my leg, so they feel like we're cuddling. It works, unless they're in a boundary pushing mood. I love cats.
I've been tossing around the idea about becoming agented and trying the traditional publishing route. I enjoy doing it all myself. Knowing that I did the formatting, writing, cover-art, and really everything for the books, makes me really happy. It's a sense of accomplishment that I'm not sure I'd feel with an agent and publisher. On the other hand, if I had an actual publisher, I'd see my books in the stores. That'd be amazing.
So, last month something happened at work to make me wonder how long I'm actually going to stay employed. I freaked out and decided that I now have no choice but to try traditional publishing and pray that I get a decent sign on bonus. I wrote my query letter (Which was no small feat, let me tell you- holy cow!) and sent it out to three different agents. I'm also going to a writer's conference in April where I'll get to meet 1:1 with an agent an hope she signs me. I was stressed out, nervous, and scared to death. I'm not sure what scared me more, getting accepted or being denied.
I got my second denial yesterday and cried. The denials are actually very nice, for rejections, but it hurt to know that they didn't like me for whatever reason. It's also hard to face the reality that I'm stuck at my job for an unknown period of time.
I talked to Bry about it yesterday, and he said something to me that I thought was really profound. He said,"Why are you even trying to get an agent? You liked writing before, now you're miserable and stressed out. You're hobby should be fun, not make you feel like this." It struck a few cords in me, one of which we discussed and he apologized for- writing for me is MUCH more than a hobby. He had a point though. I love writing. I love the entire process. It's challenging, and I learn something new every day. I can see how much I've grown. It's awesome. My friend Audrey had this to say, "What?! I don't understand, all they have to do is read what you've written, and they'll love you!" That statement made my day. :)
So for now, I've decided to rethink a few things. I'm going to continue to write and continue publishing on my own. I like it, it makes me happy. If for some reason, I get approached by an agent or an editor, I'll figure things out then. I'm still going to the conference in April, I'm actually very excited to see what they have to say about writing. I'm not going to stress about it anymore, I love writing, and that's all that matters.

Conclusion of Read an eBook Week

Thank-you so much for your support this week during Read an eBook week at Smashwords!!! Through your shares and support I was able to give over 200 books away!! YEA!! That's 200 more people who are getting to know me as a writer. I'm so excited and encouraged for the opportunities of this year! Hopefully it continues to be AMAZING!!! My fans absolutely ROCK and I love every one of you! Happy reading!!

Read an eBook Week

Smashwords has a promotion this week where you can get eBooks at a discounted rate. They do this to promote eBooks and support Indie Authors like me. I'm participating and right now you can download all four of my books for FREE!!!
You read correctly-FREE!!!
Furthermore, we haven't gotten the final word on PayPal's censoring so Lascivious Transformation is still available. Grab it while you still can!

Click on the link http://bit.ly/xccB34 and use the coupon code RE100 at checkout to get your collection for FREE!!!!

Once you purchase from Smashwords, the eBook is available for download on ALL eReader devices that you may own. Awesome, right? 
Thanks for your support! 

ramblings

I've decided to put Zombie Wars on the shelf right now. I just can't get into it at the moment. Sorry to those who were patiently waiting for the sequel. I want to put out a book I actually like, and so far... ugh.
I've been working on Victoria's story, Created. It seems to call to me more than any other book I've been working on, and is flowing very nicely. I'm very excited for her story, more so than I thought I'd be. I wasn't even planning on writing her story, but apparently she wants it told. I love writing.
The dilemma I'm facing right now is how to write her story. I started it in third person, but am not sure if I want it to go that way. The other two and a half books in this series are told in first person, and the two main books are both from Natasha's point of view. I thought that because I was writing from another character's point of view I should write in a different viewpoint, but now I'm thinking I should continue the same viewpoint for the entire series. hmm....
Personally I prefer writing in first person. I get more attuned to the main character's personality and how everything else meshes with their storyline then when I'm writing third person. I like third person because it's easier for me to express the emotions and thoughts of all the characters instead of just how my main character perceives them. It's just harder for me to become emotionally connected to my characters in third person.
A couple of my other works are written in first person, but the speaker changes throughout the book. I have one book that I'm excited to work on, but haven't had the time and energy I need to go to the dark places it's going to take me to to write it. That one has letters meshed in with a storyline. It's proven to be a challenge to intermix the two, but I know that when I have the time to go into the dark, twisted world of a serial killer, I'll be able to mesh it well.
For some reason, this year I've been having a difficult time staying focused. I'm excited about April and the possibilities it holds. I've been extremely stressed out at work lately and too exhausted to focus on anything of substance by the time I get home. I need to get my butt in gear and focus on one project; make a commitment and stay with it through thick or thin.
I'll let you know how that works out. :)