Sneak Peek: "Glass Roses" Audiobook Clip

Hello Everyone!

First, a little housekeeping. "Glass Roses" has officially been reduced to sample chapters on my Wattpad profile. The story has been there for a long time, and now that the official version is gaining momentum, it is time to say goodbye to the rough draft. Don't worry, though! All of the other stories are still on Wattpad for the foreseeable future. :)


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"Glass Roses" is now enrolled in Kindle Select, which means it is available in the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. Good news for all you Amazon Prime folks! Those of you who purchase or already own the eBook version should now be able to lend it to people as well. This is an exciting little development in the life of my novel. Thank you for sharing it with me!

Speaking of exciting developments, how would you like a sneak peek at the audiobook for "Glass Roses" while we're talking about it?


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Below you will find a sample clip of the audiobook. It contains the entire first letter from Eleanor (my historical take on Cinderella) to her cousin-by-marriage and best friend Isabella (my take on Belle).

It is a surreal experience, hearing the words I lived with for so long in my head spoken out loud by someone else. So many preconceived notions, so much to learn about allowing my opinions and assumptions go so that I can enjoy this exciting new process.

Have a listen here and let me know what you think in the comments!

Happy Saturday!

Wattpad Block Party: Post is Live!

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the hiatus... #momlife.

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Now that I'm back, here is an update on what has been going on with my writing. First, the "Glass Roses" audiobook is well into the production phase. My editor says it is about 25% done! I'm expecting it to be released sometime mid-autumn. Late September, early October or so. An excellent time to curl up with an audibook while you sip hot cocoa and knit/crochet a cozy blanket to snuggle with during the coming colder days. Just thinking about it is making me excited already!

I'll be honest, I love summer (the sun, the long days, the warm weather), but autumn has a very special place in my heart. I grew up in New England, surrounded by colorful leaves, wet days, the smells of water, damp earth, and wood fires in the air, a nip in the air that can't really be found anywhere else. I have vivid memories of raking leaves, visiting Plymouth Plantation, pumpkins, warm fires in the kitchen fireplace on especially cold mornings, combined with that exciting "back-to-school" feeling that I loved, both as a home-educated kid and later as a college student. New school supplies, new subjects to study, a fresh start... autumn is a special time of year.

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Anyway, back to the writing. The really big thing going on right now is my participation in the Wattpad Block Party. Hosted by Kelly Anne Blount, it is a collection of Wattpad authors who gather for one month to share daily posts about pretty much anything they can think of: writing advice, sneak peeks at new writing, author or character interviews, etc. We are in the middle of the Party right now, with new posts being added every day!

My post was featured on August 17th, and it will remain part of the Block Party "book" on Kelly's profile for as long as she is willing to host it. After much thought, I finally decided to share a scene from an old story idea as a sneak peek chapter. When I say old, I'm talking old. This scene has been kicking around in the guts of my hard drive for years. I could never get an actual, functional story to coalesce around it. Everything was too nebulous and clunky. However, when I finally sat down to produce something for my Party post, I pulled the scene out and writer things started happening in my brain. I'm now in the middle of outlining the whole story, which will probably be at least two books long (though I'm shooting for three). Isn't it amazing what time and patience and working on other things will do for an old idea? I'm also feeling much more comfortable with the process of ditching things that I've hoped to include, and that alone has helped this old story immensely. The scene itself is polished in a way I never could have done all those years ago when I first wrote it. You should check it out and let me know what you think. :)

Oh, and before I forget, I am also participating in the giveaways for the event. My prize is one free copy of the "Glass Roses" eBook, and my contest is open internationally.

Head on over to the Wattpad Block Party at this link to check out my post and learn how to enter the giveaway. Don't forget to stick around and check out the posts and giveaways of the other authors as well! There are a lot of really great prizes available, and the posts are varied and interesting.

Until next time!

P.S. Obligatory "Psych" GIF incoming:

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Major Announcement

Big News!!

I am now officially an author with SAGA Egmont, the digital imprint of Danish publishing house Lindhardt and Ringhof.



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This is really exciting news, and I am frankly still a little shocked and amazed that it is happening.

"Glass Roses" is the novel SAGA has licensed, and it will be released as an audiobook later this year, probably sometime in September.

I am grateful for the opportunity SAGA has given me, and I hope our connection will prove to be a positive experience for everyone involved.

In the meantime, get excited! I'm working with a real publisher now!


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Let's Talk Twitter

My love for Twitter didn't happen overnight. It took a long time for me to realize just how amazing this platform is for budding authors. Once I did realize it, however, I was quick to take advantage of it. You really should too, which is why I am dedicating a post to talking about how I use Twitter to grow my audience.

Why I Love Twitter

1. Mobility: Using Twitter on my phone means I can publicize myself and my work from literally any location, any time I have a spare minute. As a mom of three very active little children, this is important.

2. Speed: Twitter is about the only publicity I have time for at the moment (without paying an arm and a leg for ads or some kind of help to get the word out), and I need it to be easy, quick, and pithy. 140 character tweets deliver on this big-time.

3. Social Networking: Do you know just how many opportunities there are for indie authors on Twitter right now? There are hashtags that everyone uses: #amwriting and #amediting are probably the biggest ones, but I also like to use #momlife, #momwrites (possibly my invention, lol), and #indieauthors. Lots of literary agencies and publishers are now hosting events called Pitch Days where agents and editors read through tweets tagged with their specific hashtag, looking at 140 characters story pitches. Many individual authors are hosting hashtag games where fellow authors tweet answers to questions or share information about their works-in-progress (WIPs), published works, or themselves. Some of the games I have participated in recently include #WIPjoy #PUBjoy #WIPRevelations #AuthorConfession #WIPTruthOrDare #WIPTunes, and my very own game #ShareWords. These games give authors a chance to find one another, connect, and share snippets of their work without being seen as obnoxious or obtrusive. It's fantastic! As if that wasn't enough, there are also whole accounts dedicated to sharing information about any and all free events where writers can enter contests (some with substantial prizes), pitch their work, and vie for the attention of those who can get us a coveted place in the publishing world we all dream of joining. My favorite account like this is Free Writings Events (or @writevent). And BONUS! The more things you participate in, the more visibility you gain, and the more followers you accrue. Since posting the graphic for my hashtag game, I have gone from 108 followers to 129! It's only been two days!

4. Image Sharing: Twitter is great for sharing pictures of your covers, GIFs that evoke the style of your story, or just using the myriad of digital graphics available to react to and interact with what other authors are tweeting about. It's a fun, colorful, emotive way to participate and show off your unique personality and style, giving people a sense for who you are as an author and an individual.

5. Writing Practice: Keeping my remarks to 140 characters is excellent practice in choosing which words are important to use, and which ones aren't. All writers struggle with superfluous words, and I am no exception. Making a point in a short amount of space is particularly important when it comes to pitch writing. Think that one-page query letter is impossible to actually make one page? Try pitching a 100k word novel with two main characters, two love interests, and two separate plots in a niche genre with only 140 characters. Yeah.

Basically, if you aren't on Twitter yet, get on it. You will be glad you did. There is a huge community that I think a lot of people have no idea exists, and it is a fabulous place for authors to engage with one another.

Wattpad Block Party: Summer Edition III

Hey Guys!

I am very excited to announce that I have been invited back to the Wattpad Block Party again! The third Summer Edition will be held during the month of August, and will feature a great list of authors from Wattpad. Kelly Anne Blount will be the hostess, as usual.

For those who don't know what the Wattpad Block Party is, I'll explain. USA Today best-selling author Kelly Anne Blount creates a "book" on her Wattpad profile where she shares the posts that we, the featured authors, create specially for the event. Every day during the month of August will feature a different author. We create all sorts of content for the Party: sneak peek chapters, short stories, Q&A with either ourselves or with some of our characters, major announcements saved just for the event, etc. And we all pitch in to offer a wide variety of giveaway prizes. I've seen everything from chapter critiques/edits to chapter dedications to free books and even European chocolate. Seriously, it's a lot of fun for everyone who participates!

To celebrate being chosen to participate again, I am going to join the Party giveaways and offer up one free copy of the "Glass Roses" eBook from Amazon.

Keep an eye either on my Wattpad profile or here for more information about how to enter the giveaway and which day I will be featured.

And... get ready to party!

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"Princess of the Peas" First Draft... Complete!

Today is the day! I have finally finished the first draft of "Princess of the Peas," and it is sweet, sweet nice.

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I've put my thoughts in the "Acknowledgements" section at the end of the story, since I'm feeling too crazy over the whole thing to write about it at the moment. Short version: I can't believe I finished!! SOOOOOOOO much writer's block! Thank you a million times to my patient readers who waited months for me to get my act together and finish the story. You guys are the best EVER.

Check it out here and see how I wrapped up Kate's culinary adventures with a sweet finish.

Thanks a bunch! Enjoy!

"Sea Girl" on Wattpad's TapChat App!

Hello!

My favorite writing website, Wattpad, recently put out a phone .app specifically geared toward conversation-based storytelling. Apparently there are already a few apps like this one out there, but since I am a big fan of Wattpad, I decided to check this one out. It's called Tap, or TapChat, depending on who you ask. On Twitter, you can follow them using the tag #tapbywattpad.

I currently have three stories available on the app. The first is a bonus scene for my work-in-progress novel "Princess of the Peas." It's meant to be a little extra for fans of the story. It is titled "Damage Control: A 'Princess of the Peas' Moment."

My second story is an on-going retelling of Robin Hood, set in modern-day Boston and featuring some rather heavy political overtones. It is inspired by some of the characterizations in the BBC television series, so fan of the show will probably have a chuckle or two over some of my naming choices. You can find it under the name "Sergeant Hood: Operation Retold."

The third story is also my most popular on the app. It is called "Sea Girl," and is a modern take on the classic tale of "The Little Mermaid." At last look, it had over 100,000 taps and continues to climb. It is also featured under the "magical" category heading.

If you are looking for a quick story, check these out and let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!