How Do You Say Goodbye?

Hello once again, Readers!!!

I know I have been MIA for some time now, but that is because I have thrown myself into finishing this trilogy. Guess what!? Last night I finally reached that moment where the final two words were written.

The end.

*tear*

I am beginning to feel separation anxiety. How do I say goodbye to my characters who I have become so close to? How do I move on to another set of characters?

I have my WIP from NaNo just waiting for me to jump back into, and for a while I couldn’t wait to finish this trilogy so I could get back to it, but now that my first draft is complete…ahhh.

There is so much pressure with this one. This is it. There will be no fourth. Every idea, every foreshadow, every minor plot, they all have to come together in an explosion of epicosity. The final battle between good and evil. Deciding their fates from that point on.

When I started this whole idea back in 2009, I had no idea that it would actually get published. I had a faint idea of where the story was going, but never all of this. I approached the second novel with a heavy mind, wondering if I could do it. Would I be able to write another? And I was surprised once again by how easily the words flowed out. The characters took me places that I had never imagined before. They wanted their story told.

Which brings us to the third. From the Embers.

Last night I finished it; the final chapter in Aurora’s story. My heart pounded and my hands shook as I typed those last two words. My throat felt tight. I couldn’t tell if I was delighted or sad. I didn’t know if I wanted to do a happy dance or cry. I thought maybe I was having a bit of a panic attack. So I went to bed.

My characters have literally been put through hell. The story and all its many layers have unraveled, and the ending sentence is dangling before me. Am I being a bit dramatic? Maybe, but this is my first real ending. This was my first project. This idea that sprung to life is what changed my life. I will forever be grateful to these characters for showing me where my path rested in life.

Okay, now I am getting emotional so I need to stop. I still have a ton of editing to do with it. It is, after all, the first draft. I still have many more months to spend working on them between wrapping up and publishing Embracing the Flames, and then getting through my own personal edits and read-throughs to send From the Embers in to my publisher for review.

So it’s not really over yet. I just can’t believe how everything turned out. Bittersweet and definitely not what I had expected in the beginning. I mean that in a good way. To all of my readers, you are in for a surprise.

Any who, that is all for now. Now to leave you with a question: Who’s ready for Game of Thrones!?

Echelon out ♥

Teaser Tuesday: Embracing the Flames

Hello once again, Readers! Guess what!? It’s Teaser Tuesday (in case you didn’t sum that up from the title of  today’s post). Hey…I’m just looking out for you, you know.

Any who, I thought I would share a snippet from Embracing the Flames since it is so close to being released. My publisher is currently reading through it, making her notes and edits, so what you read may not be exactly the same when it’s finally published.

This particular scene is from chapter 6. Fenn and Aurora were spending some quiet time together which turned into playing a form of hide-and-seek. As usual, Aurora is a magnet for trouble. She heads into the forest behind Astral’s house, but instead of finding Fenn, she finds her first encounter with a Necromancer-a race she has been told to stay clear from.

When she finds Fenn, she tries to tell him about the man in the forest and that they need to run, but he decides he needs to take a look (typical guy). When he finds nothing, they start to leave, which is when Shiron decides to show himself. After a few attempts of dispelling him with magic, Fenn and Aurora discover that Necromancers are immune to Mage magic.

That is when all hell breaks loose and that is all I will give up! Here it is:

 

Shiron’s face scrunched for a moment before looking at Fenn, assessing the threat. He pursed his lips and said, “Oh? And who’s going to stop me? You?” He was quick, the daggers already in his hands, as if they had appeared there by his will alone.

“Run!” Fenn yelled as he punched the guy, using the shock to jump on top of him. They fell to the ground with a heavy thud, rolling through the muck and brush, fists flying in the midst of the leaves.

At first, I did as he said, running from the pure fear of death, but then I heard Fenn’s pained cry. I stopped suddenly, muck flying up around me, and I turned back, thriving on anger and rage.

My dragon spirit was already trying to push forward, fueled by the desire to kill whoever was hurting my mate. I couldn’t let anything happen to him. I knew I had to let my dragon side take over in order to protect him. With regret, I let go and slumped into the darkness that came with not being in control.

 

When I came to, I was lying on the soft grass underneath the Jacaranda tree. Fenn was huddled over me. “Aurora, wake up please,” he said, his hands shaking.

My first thought was to make sure he was okay. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he confirmed, his lip caked in blood and both eyes swollen and black. “You saved my life.”

I tried to sit up but was hit by an overwhelming pain throughout my left side. I reached over and felt dampness on my conjured shirt. Slowly, I brought my hand up. It was covered in blood. “I’ve been stabbed,” I panicked.

“I know,” Fenn rushed out. “I’m going to open a portal and take us back, okay? I wanted to get you dressed first.” His face was pale, and his voice was full of worry. He was shaking all over. I tried to reach out to his misted eyes in an attempt to ease his worry.

“Okay,” I said, taking his hand instead. As I stood, I felt faint. “I’ve depleted myself,” I admitted. A nauseous wave struck me hard. I stumbled forward, unable to hold myself up any longer.

My vision started to falter, and my heart pounded against my chest in a rush. “Something’s happening. Oh no.”

Fenn was right there, catching me before I hit the ground. “I need you to go get Astral,” I muttered as the pull of my Oraculus weighed on me. “Zordon-”

“Hang on,” I heard him call. And then, as usual, everything went black.

And scene.

There is way more to this scene, but of course that will come with reading the book when it is published. Hope you enjoyed!

Echelon out ♥

Giveaway Time…Again!!

photo credit: gabi_menashe via photopin cc

Hello once again, Readers!! What?! Cute, cuddly, tickle-me-please baby feet are the featured photo on my blog today?!? Could that mean….

No.

I am happy with my two crazy, loud, full-of-energy children. I’m afraid if I had another, I would for sure need to be admitted into a loony bin.

Just sayin’.

A very close friend that my husband and I have known since we were kids just had his first child on Wednesday (well his wife had him). I am so freaking excited about this, you have no idea. The baby was a healthy, 8lb 5oz boy delivered in the afternoon. Perfection.

This is such a revelation for me because none of our friends have had kids yet. Well, except for Sonya, but her kids were older when we met and became besties. This is my first experience with someone other than myself having a baby. And it was just as magical. I just wanted to congratulate my friends. They did a wonderful job and I am very proud of them.

But I digress. On to the reason you are here.

The initial Facebook giveaway of 500 likes was a success. We reached it, found a winner, and I have gained a bunch of new friends and followers that I converse with daily because of it. Not to mention the advertising and sales that have stemmed. It was so successful, that I’ve decided to bump it up a notch to reach 1000 likes. And rather than sending you to my Facebook page to join in the fun, I am posting the giveaway on this blog so you can enter and reblog! If you so please, that is.

Follow this link to enter for your chance and to reveal the AWESOME prizes:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nice right? I thought so myself.

In other news, I should have a cover reveal coming sometime this week after my publisher sends me the completed files. I am SO excited to share it with you all. It sticks to the same theme as the Born in Flames cover, but with a new twist! Eek!

That being said, Echelon out!

Blog Hop! The Next Big Thing: Embracing The Flames

photo credit: osiatynska via photopin cc

Hello once again, Readers!!! I have been meaning to do this post for a while now since I have been nominated by a few of my author friends, but am just now getting to it. I want to thank Elizabeth Guizzetti for nominating me first and foremost. She is a fellow author at 48fourteen (my publisher) and is extremely talented. Her debut novel, Other Systems, has received great review and even an interviewed from me! Check out her post, Blog Hop! The Next Big Thing: The Martlet to find what her next big thing is!

But I digress.

What is the working title of your next book?

• The title of the next book in the Born in Flames trilogy is Embracing the Flames. It is in the last round of editing by my publisher and will hopefully be released by summer of 2013.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

• The idea for the trilogy struck me in 2009 when I decided that I actually wanted to try to write the small ideas I had floating around in side of my head. After completing the first novel in the trilogy, Born in Flames, and then being accepted by 48fourteen, I continued on with the trilogy. I had a general idea of where I wanted the second novel to go in terms of planning out the major plot line of all three, but the actual details came to me as I began writing which is mostly how I write. I let it flow without the pressure of a guide to follow.

What genre does your book fall under?

• It is still a young adult fantasy. Maybe with a little more epic fantasy in it.

Who would play your characters in a film?

• I would love for Hayley Williams from Paramore to play Aurora and I think Logan Lermen would be a good Fenn.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

• Embracing the Flames is the next chapter in Aurora’s life where she discovers secrets more sinister than her enemy that will unveil the price of her life.

Will your next book be self-published or represented by an agent?

• Neither. It is being traditionally published by 48fourteen.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

• Around three months. My read-through took about one month after that.

What other books would you compare this story to in the genre?

• I’m not sure. I haven’t given much thought to comparing.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

• Wanting something more out of life inspired me. I was bored with my day job and decided to write the ideas in my head, not really knowing that it could actually become a career. By the time I finished the novel, I knew that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

• This novel dives deeper into the fantastical world that Aurora now lives in. You will see more magic, dragons, different races such as Necromancers and Priests, and the development of Fenn and Aurora’s love story as well as the discovery of Fenn’s role in Aurora’s future. He’s her protector, but on more levels than the readers know of right now.

You can read more status updates about the trilogy on my author Facebook page. You can find Born in Flames on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and KOBO.

I want to now nominate my best friend Sonya Loveday. She is a wonderful writer who is on her way to being published as we speak! Make sure you follow this link and show her some love! You won’t be disappointed.

That being said, Echelon out! ♥

How To Juggle…Literar-ally…In Five Easy Steps.

Hello once again, Readers!!! How are you this lovely morning? I am freaking fantastic! I just received the first mock-up for the Embracing the Flames cover! I can’t wait to see the finished product!!! I also found out that the possibility of print is not too far off! It’s in the works!!! *squeal*

But I digress.

With the new year, more opportunities and ideas have flourished. Book three, From the Embers, is almost 50k in! I’m thinking another month or so and I will be ready to start edits! Conventions are being looked at, marketing is being attacked full-force, and another project (the one from NaNo) will be completed!

Wooh!

That’s a lot, right? Sometimes it almost feels impossible or unattainable. But I have a problem with going after the unattainable.

GET TO THE POINT!

Okay! One of the hardest parts of being a writer (I have discovered) is not being patient (because I have mastered that), but finding balance. I have to balance my home life, squeeze in time for writing, and find time to market. That’s barely touching the scope of daily responsibilities and unprepared-for incidents that occur. It’s not an easy task, but it is doable. And I am here to give you the steps you need to help you along!

1. Find a caffeinated beverage and STICK with it! Yes *raises hand* I am a Red Bull addict, but only because it gives me wings! How else am I supposed to multi-task?
2. Speaking of multi-tasking, learn to do just that. Plan your days around things you can do simultaneously that will eliminate time misuse. As a fulltime author, it is not just about locking yourself away and writing non-stop. Unless you have a huge marketing team backing you, you have to be sociable and branch out. Meet new people, extend yourself, help others, ect.
3. Form a routine. For instance, my mornings are spent researching, marketing, answering emails, and eating a granola bar (with a Red Bull). If I can, I squeeze in a blog post too. Mid-afternoons (nap time for my daughter) is where I shut everything off and zone into writing. Roughly two hours worth. Then I have to grab my son from school. I clean, prepare dinner, and try to fit in exercise around this time (late-afternoon). Then I usually finish up my writing and social media stuff and call it a night. It’s not the best, but it keeps me on point and not feeling scattered.
4. Take a break if you become overwhelmed. Nothing is more thwarting than feeling tired and bummed out. That is your body’s way of telling you to take a break.
5. Write! No matter what, you must find time to do this. You must devote yourself to it if you want it to happen.

Point is, balance is something you work for, just like everything else. You have to find it. You have to apply it, even when the unexpected happens. Some of you know this and have probably mastered it, and some of you may be like me, searching through piles of laundry, trying to find it. Don’t give up. Some days will be easy and others will be hard. Isn’t that what balance is all about?

Now to leave you with a question: How do you deal with stress and writing?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Echelon out, Peeps ♥