Here After Trilogy

Here After is back with my editor to get it ready for everyone. I'm not sitting idly by waiting for Red Adept Editing to finish. I've finally found the perfect cover after months of searching and even attempting to create my own. Which incidentally were pretty awful. Thank you to FrinaArt at SelfPubBookCovers. I've also worked on the back cover and have finally gotten it right after a few weeks of work. Let me know what you think here on my blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

                                                            Rosalyn

Throwing off the comforter, I ran over to my computer to quiet the blaring music escaping from the speakers. I was certain I’d turned the thing off last night. I was about to slam the top shut when the monitor caught my attention. On the screen, in bold letters that took up half the page, were two words. “GET OUT.”

Shaking my head, I tried rid myself of the uncomfortable feeling at seeing the disturbing message. Turning around to head back to bed, I stopped short.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

                                                            *   *   *

                                                            William

For a moment, I didn’t realize to whom she spoke. Then, understanding dawned on me. She could see me. The shock of my realization froze me in place. I didn’t know whether to be happy or… my sluggish brain caught up to what she’d said and anger took the place of my elation.

“Your house? This isn’t your house.”

Busy Schedule

I'm currently working on the edit for Here After and I'm shooting for release in February or March 2017. Once that is completed I will be working the outlines for Here & Now, and Here to Stay the second and third book in the set.

Eternity is doing great though I'm anxiously awaiting the first reviews and feed back. I will be setting aside some time this weekend to complete a book trailer for Eternity. I just have to come up with a script for the book trailer first.

While doing this I'm also training for my second marathon. I ran the first one in February 2016 and I'm shooting for the next one in February 2018.

Regardless of my schedule I will be making updates to Facebook and Twitter at least once a week and probably more frequently. I've found doing this keeps me focused (though it used to scare me). So look there for the most up to date information.

I hope everyone's year is off to a great start and I look forward to hearing from you.

Eternity Released

It took an eternity (I'm a sucker for puns, sorry.) but Eternity is finally released for sale on Amazon, Nook, and Smashwords. I released it last night at around two thirty in the morning. I hope you all enjoy it.

Thank you again for all of the support during the process to get Eternity to you.

Eternity Off to the Editor

I’ve update Facebook and Twitter with my progress over the last month but it’s now official. Eternity is complete and sent off to the editor today. If all goes well I hope to have Eternity out for Christmas or New Years at the latest. Of course, this depends on how long my editor takes to complete her part. I’ve also completed the cover image below. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you all for your patients and support and I’ll be sure to keep everyone in the loop as I have updates.

Eternity: A little note

I've had a lot on my plate with my family and took a break from the Immortal series. I've completed the first book in my next series Here After and will be sending it off to the editor soon

The good news is everything is finally running smoothly and I'm back to working on Eternity. I don't have a date set for release but I hope to have it out at some point this year.

Thank you all for staying faithful to the series and for the encouragement.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of Thanksgiving being this week, I thought I'd write a post on a few of the things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my family and for my day job. I'm thankful for my writing and the fulfillment it gives. I'm also thankful for the fans of my books and the motivation they supply for me to do my very best.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and remember all of the things you have to be thankful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Time for an update!

Thank you all for waiting patiently while I continue to work on my books. I just wanted to give everyone an update so you know where I am at with my current projects. I finished writing Here After and sent it to my editor on October 15, 2012. She's given me a a lot of feedback so I can make it the best that I am able for all of you. I am also working with my artist to get the cover art for Here After up and going, so if all goes well, I'll have a picture to post shortly. I will let you all know as soon as I have an official release date for Here After.

Also, I've started to work on the third book in the Immortal trilogy, Eternity. I have set a deadline to finish this one sometime in May or June. I know that may seem like a long time, but please bear with me while I give this story the time and energy it deserves. Thank you again for your patience and support!

Poll Time!

Alright, before I post this I just want to make sure everyone knows this is for entertainment purposes only and will not influence my writing. With that said, I thought it would be fun from time to time to post a question about my books to see what the fans think. I know everyone will have different opinions and that is what makes this so fun. For scientific measure, I created a poll below so you can easily respond and we will be able to see the percentage of you who choose a particular answer. This is the first question that came to my mind, and I'm interested to know what you think. Feel free to leave comments about your choice below if you want to explain your answer, or if you would like to comment on this post in general. Happy polling!

online survey

The poll is now closed. Final results: 105 Total votes, 88 (84%) for Samuel, 17 (16%) for Duncan. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Current Project Updates

So, I have been getting many questions about my current projects "Here After" and the third book in the Immortal trilogy, "Eternity". This post will attempt to answer some of those questions.

Update on Eternity: Currently with my editor for final proof read should be released in January 2017

Update on Here After: Completed the writing and working on the first round of edits from my editor. Shooting for a release date some time in February or March of 2017. This will be the first book in the Here After chronicles.

Update on Here for Now: Second book in the Here After chronicles. I will begin the outline as soon as the editing for Eternity and first round of Edits for Here After are completed.

Thank you all for your support! I will continue to update my Facebook and twitter accounts on a regular basis so look there for the most up to date information. Thank you all again for your support and encouragement.

Updates: Not So Up To Date

Most of you I’m sure have noticed that I’m not the best at keeping everything updated. In an effort to combat my much belated updates and correspondence, I have hired someone to help me keep everyone in the loop. If you have, any questions or comments feel free to post them here or on my Facebook account.

Thank you all again for your patience and understanding during this transition.

Insight

First, let me explain how I write. I, unfortunately, do not write with a plan or outline in place. This is against every writing rule I was taught in school and every one I’ve read since putting my fingers to the keyboard to begin Immortal in 2010. This means I throw out a lot of what I write. Immortal alone I started over five times and probably threw out 80,000 words.

The reason I’m telling all of you this is three fold.

1)      For those who are writing or aspiring to write: Don’t give up. I have the worst writing habits in the world, yet I persisted, and because of it, Immortal and Forever were created.

2)      This means I am not a fast writer. If you add in the fact that I also have a full time job, two kids, and a husband, as well as writing but I hate excuses. I know, as a fan waiting over a year for Mass Effect 3 and three years three months for Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (see I’m a bigger dork than you thought) to come out I really do understand the frustration of waiting for the next book or game or even movies to be released.

3)      This also means that my most frequently asked question: When will Eternity, the third book in the Immortal Trilogy, be released? This question is actually hardest for me to answer. I would chalk it up there with Stephenie Meyers being asked about Midnight Sun. I know you all want a date now and the sooner the better. The thing is I needed a break from Immortal not a long break but a little one. Hence, the reason I am working on Here After my new series. I promise afterward I will be back to work on Eternity.

I hope this gives you some insight into what I’m doing and I hope you’re all willing to hang in there with me. The wait will be worth it.

Confusion

Many things confuse me. Like why are people so obsessed with reality television? Why is it so important to have someone retweet your tweet on Twitter? Why does it feel like an earth-ending apocalypse if no one responds to your comment on Facebook? And how in the heck do you use Google+?

I know some of my questions may never be answered but these things throw me for a loop. I’ve tried (with varying degrees of success) to understand these questions. Some braver souls have even tried to explain to me why it is so important to know what J. Lo was wearing on American Idol last night. I just don’t understand. 

I believe I may have discovered the reason for my confusion. I am shy. Simple enough. I don’t like to be singled out for either excellence or failure. Though I prefer to always be firmly seated in the excellent category. The thought of standing on a stage, even a virtual one, and being spotlighted is terrifying to me. The thought that anyone would care what I did today is a foreign concept. 

Perhaps this stems from my lack of popularity growing up. Yes, I was the dork sitting in the middle row hoping everyone would ignore me, but at the same time wishing with all my might that I could also be popular. So, I will continue to try to work through my confusion. I will attempt to become a more active participant in the social world. I just hope I don’t get in my own way.

Giveaway: Signed Draft Copy of Forever

Prize

A signed draft copy of Forever. I accidentally ordered one to many copies. So rather than allowing it to sit on my on my bookshelf I decided hold a contest. I am afraid there is only one copy though given that it is a draft.

Rules

The contest is open to everyone with reliable mail service. This includes international readers. The contest begins on December 15th at midnight and ends on December 31st at midnight. All times are EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contact by e-mail within 72 hours from the end of the contest.

Update

Thank you all for your interest and entries. The winner is Vickie Jones. Thank you again for all the support and interest. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Forever on Nook, Other E-readers, and Paperback

I know everything is up and going on Amazon and Smashwords but I’m getting many questions about the release date on the Nook and other e-readers. The good news is Nook should be up within 24-72 hours. The bad news is that it may be 2-3 weeks before it is available on other e-reading devices like the Sony e-reader and iBooks.

Forever can be downloaded for other e-reading devices (besides the Nook and Kindle) on Smashwords. The paperback is ready to go through Createspace. It will soon be available through Amazon and B&N as well. Below I have the links for Smashwords and Createspace to purchase electronic copies or paperbacks. I will let everyone know as soon as Forever is available through other vendors.

Smashwords  Createspace

Forever Release Date Moved Up

So a funny story for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I uploaded the new version of Immortal some months back after editing was completed. It took nearly four days to go live on Smashwords and another two days before it was updated on Amazon. I don’t really know how long it took before Barnes & Noble got it up on their site but it took a few weeks.

The reason I’m telling you all this is that I set my release date for Forever as December 1, 2011. I didn’t want the formatting and upload time to cause me to miss the date so I began the process in the WEEEEEEEEE hours of the morning on November 24, 2011. Funny thing is it didn’t take as long as I thought it would. In fact, it is now available for purchase on Smashwords and will soon be available on Amazon. I considered removing them and waiting an extra few days but that can be a tricky game so I am leaving them up.

Think of it as a Black Friday present. I hope you all enjoy and that the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend is a happy one.

Forever Book Trailer

I made a book trailer for the upcoming release. I hope you all enjoy it.

Forever Release Date

I know everyone has been waiting for an update and I told you I would let you know milestones as I reached them. The suspense is over in some regards and just starting in another. Forever has been sent to the proofer (to make sure all my I’s have dots and those pesky homophones are found). With that said, I am setting the tentative release date for Forever as December 1, 2011.

As a little treat, I am also posting the cover for Forever. I hope you all enjoy it. And I look forward to your feedback.

Mistake Number One

Not hiring a professional editor.

This may seem like a no brainer but I have to learn everything the hard way. This is the thing I regret the most and would change if I could. I honestly thought that when I released Immortal it was the best it could be. There were, however, some glaring errors in the manuscript and those reviewers or readers who threw their hands up and quit reading I apologize.

Earlier this year I decided to correct this issue. I hired a professional editor (Lynn O’Dell) and after a few months of hard work and back and forth we got it worked out. I now have the edited version of Immortal at Amazon and Smashwords. I have also uploaded it to B&N but I’m not sure how long it will take to be corrected as they tend to lag behind slightly on updates.

My advice to those who are considering going the Indie route is to hire a professional editor. It may seem like and unnecessary or frivolous expense, but it is worth every penny you spend. Also make sure they do an adequate job (most editors will offer sample edits). There really is no substitute for an editor. Beta readers are great but they usually are not getting paid to find the mistakes. So if you want your book to be the best it can be, get a reputable editor. This will not guarantee success but it will hopefully help prevent some bad reviews or readers giving up on your novel prematurely due to common spelling errors or holes in your plot.

Mistake Number Two

Not finishing the series before publishing.

This one is a little tricky. Immortal is the first book I have ever written. I knew from the very beginning it would be a series. I never dreamed how long or difficult writing a series could be. Writing the second book, Forever, has been a learning experience on the scale of writing a first book.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advising anyone not to publish until the entire series is completed. Just be prepared for the fact that it can take a lot longer than you thought to write and things don’t always go as planned

Mistakes I Made When Going Indie

There is a lot of debate about self publishing or indie publishing. The tide has changed with the success of authors such as J.A. Konrath and Amanda Hocking. This has given some validity to the act but there are still some who think it could be a fluke.  

After much research and inner debate I decided to try my hand at it and though I have not (as of yet) had the success of the above mentioned authors I am still doing far better than I could have ever dreamed. With this success I have run into things that I would have done differently and I hope to explore these topics over the coming weeks and what, if any efforts or ideas, I have come up with to try and fix these errors. 

Hopefully, none of them are as bad as this. Okay, at least one of them is as bad as this.