Geography

Hey Lovelies!
I'm in Jersey waiting for Irene to make her full appearance, I was at the Belmar beach last night and the waves were 6+feet! The waves were such a sight, kind of want to keep a check on that again, might check again before I go back to school...whenever I can drive over there! Now to the main point of this post! You are probably looking at the title of this post and wonder what in the world am I talking about, especially about a topic that is very school orinated, well it all starts 2 days ago when my friend Amy came back from her camping trip. This will be a little Behind the Scenes details coming up! Well she took some seriously pretty pictures, I wish I had them to show you with how the lighting was and the trees, so pretty!

Amy found's Ed's house! Yes, Ed from End of the Line! She got this great angle of the home with the trees in front of making the angle look more like the home was more in the middle of no where! Totally awsome not going to lie. She got several gorgous shots of creeks, if you didn't already get the feel, Amy is working on the new cover for End of the Line. She is like me with pretty covers grabbing her attention so I'm having fun with her working ont his project. Well she was talking about the bridges she saw and we were talking and she pointed out a pretty big flaw with Aaron's and Lauren's travel! This is where Geography comes into the works, I kind of forgot about the Deleware River that seperates New Jersey and Penn. Oops! We got a good laugh at my minor oops. So I will be adding either a sentence or a minor scene about a bridge being crossed! I have a couple fun bridges from that border that I'm going to have fun with! So during this weekend I'll be working on writing and refreshing on my Italian since classes start Tuesday unless the weather does something...
~Ottilie

Checklist

Hey Lovelies!
I don't know about you, but I keep a mental list of what needs to get done. Not a real set in stone list at times, in additional at times can cause more stress then an actual hand written list! I'm a pro at adding un-needed stress to myself. Well there were a few things I wanted to get done during the summer, didn't really successed at some of that, oops! Well onto the bad news I start classes on the 30th (next week!) crazy too soon if you ask me!

Things that were done for the writing world! End of the Line, I finished going through it, waiting for Sam to finish editing it. And Amy and I have decided it was best to have a fall background for the cover so we are going to have fun with that! New author picture! Made the Book Trailer for Family Ties. Finished and sent in the short story for the Charity contest, waiting to hear if my story was accepted. Got a few stories outlined well my verison of outlining. Finished writing the end of Pirates part 2, and having a friend start reading it before I submit it to BCP publishing! Started the rewriting of Project US and hoping to get that done before or almost all of it done before classes start up. I really want to get that trilogy done before considering publishing it. The second just needs to be revised a little, and well the 3rd only has 2 chapters done and notes written on how I want to end it! Seriously wish I could spend more time writing, but we'll see what the semester holds!
~Ottilie

New Look and news!

Hey Lovelies!

Have you noticed that things look a little different? Thanks to an amazing friend Shawn the decorations wouldn't have been possible! We were talking and she offered and I can not thank her enough for doing this! She made pretty buttons for you all to be able to find me at and Author badges, be free to take one there are two different options! Purple and stars can't go wrong hehe! I am totally loving the design, I can't stop gushing! You should check out her blog, and her beautifully done books Volition and Severance. I read Volition and loved it, and just started Severance and can't wait to see how the story unfolds! The picture doesn't do the covers justice!

Now in other news while I'm waiting for Sam to finish editing End of the Line I figured I'd do some heads up. I'm praying in the fall to have it available for those who want it. However yesterday i have come up with two ideas! When it comes closer to the release date (when I find out when that is...) I will do two Giveaways for ebook copies of End of the Line! The first might change my mind on doing because it might be a little mean. After my friend Amy and I do the cover artwork, a photo, I will post it and who can guess the town it was taken will win. Though i feel like that might be a little mean so might not do that. Yet the one I'll probably do is Trivia on Family Ties and whoever knows the answers on that will be the winner! So start studying up on Family Ties :)

~Ottilie

Pictures

Hey Lovelies!
So I mentioned yesterday the photo shoot that my friend Stephie and I did to get a new author picture. These are just a few of the pictures she took. She really had a fun as I said to have a victim to shoot. Wasn't use to so much me in one spot or that much camera time for just me. Made Prom look like nothing! It was windy so you are forwarned about my hair.
~Ottilie



This is probably before the wave came and splashed me!
Don't really care for this picture when it is bigger really cool shot of my eye color!

Haha no we aren't on the dunes....

I almost picked this one:

As you can tell this is the one I picked!

Haha Steph and I agreed that this really doesn't look like me but was a cool shot!

Author Picture

Hey Lovelies!
Author pictures can be a weird thing, maybe it is just me because I'm not too fond of getting my picture taken. The sitting, getting dolled up to just sit there, poses, and then figuring what one I like, not really top of my favorite things to do list to say least. The author picture that I had been using, was taken with my Cellphone, not really professonial and what not. So I asked my friend Steph if she would help me take a new picture. She loves taking photos so she was excited that she was going to have me to sit still, and corrperate for pictures, multpile ones. Steph even got me to let her put make up around my eyes. We went to Manasquan Beach by me, it's like the town over from Wall, we were by the jetties on the side and boy were we getting stares! Very funny. Leave to me to wear a skirt and nice sandles and still hop around on jetties...

Steph was having fun with different poses and all over the area. She was happy to have a victim to take pictures of she was in the mood to do a photo shoot anyway so we were killing two birds with one stone. She was also happy to have someone who had long hair, was blond, and had light colored eyes. I am tempted to post the color pictures to show what I mean what she did, maybe I will to use some time while my phone charges before work. Oh! Almost forgot to tell the story of what happened at the end of the picture taking. She wanted a picture by the beach and near the jetties so I go over do what she says we didn't really realize how high tide it was and a big wave came and I got soaked, it was hysterical! Even though I was dressed up in a white skirt and all, she kept saying sorry and I just kept laughing! Great mini adventure! Ack Blogger is giving me issues wont upload more, maybe another time.

~Ottilie

This was the winner!

Sample Sunday

Hey Lovelies!

Today is Sunday! Sorry A couple family things going on right now (long story... and can't really go into details...) so that is why this is late today. Today's Sample Sunday will be dedicated to Family Ties! Yes this is a work that is already released, but none the less a story that once pleaded to be told (you all can't this this, but boy I'm doing so many typos!) and now is in ink for others to know what the characters want to be told. I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Not sure if I said this once before, but I actually enjoy my characters more then I actually like my plots. Hahaha as an author not sure if I should be actually saying that, but it's true! Family Ties in a review was acclaimed to have had "wonderful cast of characters" by Awsome Magic Attic and Books Ahoy raved about the modern twist to fairy tales/historical fiction story!

For those who haven't read/bought End of the Line please wait!! I'm currently working on the re-release, though I'm not going to make a big production on that, just want to fix it up for those who want to read it, and make it actually available for readers since I do keep talking about that story! It's only fair, not to be a tease. BCP publisher is allowing me put a different sample of Family Ties at the end of End of the Line! I don't know when this will be out I'm hoping not too far, I know I keep saying that!




Family Ties


Chapter Four Abby

The alarm right near my head was buzzing loudly. While keeping my eyes closed I swatted at the button to turn off the awful noise. It was summer and I was getting so sick of waking up to this sound. I should be a crime for a teenager to hear the alarm in the summer. It was the end of week one of work. Opening one eye, I looked at the evil, laughing, red numbers on the clock just to make sure that I had to get up. I rolled out of bed, knowing I had to attempt to get ready for work. I stood up and did a full body stretch as I tried to wake up, but the sleep was still heavy, swarming in my mind. I pulled out my dress shirt that was tangled up in my bed sheets and slipped my arms through the long white sleeves, keeping things neat didn’t last long. Let me just tell you, not being fully awake while doing a lot of buttons equals a very bad idea. It took a little longer to button the stupid dress shirt than it should have. Nor was I about to tell anyone how many times I had to redo some of the buttons to get it right.

I shuffled the sheets around a little more to find my black skirt off my bed and slipped it on, pulled it up around my hips then checked to make sure my shirt looked fine. I clipped on my red bowtie and red cummerbund, hating how I looked. However, no matter what I put on or what I thought of what I looked like, my bed hair was surely going to be zero to no help. Looking around the floor for my shoes that I needed, I couldn’t wear just any other shoes for work. I had to wear black nice shoes. Finally I found them. Grabbing my shoes, I went down the stairs realizing that I was the most functional person in my house at the current moment, that’s disgusting. My dad was at work, Mom and Josh didn’t have to be at work for a little while so they were sleeping just a little longer. Every last second of sleep counted. I was completely and utterly jealous.


I hopped off the stairs and waltzed into the bathroom and started to brush my hair. Taming the beast of what is called my hair. My brown hair that was curly and never wanted to be controlled. I managed yet another morning of tying it into a ponytail with some shorter strands escaping to hang in my face. After other morning routine stuff, I walked out the door with a yawn and waited for Cory in front of the gate. I dropped my shoes on the ground then slipped them on.

“Hey,” I spoke quickly as he got closer, with his hands in his pockets.

“Good morning, Abby.” His voice sounding a little more awake than my own, I wanted to hit him.
“Please don’t tell me you just put good and morning together,” I whined.

My family all think once I hit college I was going to get addicted to coffee because of my charming personality in the morning.

He gave a short laugh as I hopped over the fence. I didn’t have enough energy for the jump, but I really wasn’t awake enough to bother trying to open and close it. I could not wait for my dad to fix it. Though I did suggest to just taking down the entire fence since it was a lost cause it seemed, and we weren’t little kids anymore. We knew not to just walk aimlessly in the street.

“Your mother must be proud.”

“I really don’t feel like bothering with the fence right now,” I snapped, rolling my eyes.

It wasn’t like anyone could see anything with how I leapt over.


Cory and I were walking as the sun was getting brighter; the sky was that clear robin egg blue color without a single cloud. The weather was warm already and it was only going to get hotter as the day went by. It was sad on this beautiful summer day, a day that I have been thinking of since the winter coat had to come out of the closet, that I was in a new form of containment. Work. I was going to be stuck inside instead of going to the beach and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. I missed the freedom and sense of becoming alive again while being outside on days like this.


We finally reached the corner where we have to cross the busy street then we would be at the country club. Cory and I waited a minute till the side we were on had a green light. That meant that that side couldn’t turn right so we just hurried across the street before the light changed again. I walked into the back door, which is what our boss prefers us to use instead of the front door, before Cory and into the kitchen where Lucy, one of the chefs, started to get ready for the day. She’s the head chef. She turned around when she heard the door open.


Lucy was of average height and weight, but her personality and features weren’t anything of average. She had dark brown skin with black, tight curly hair that she kept in a bun because it was a kitchen law. She had chestnut brown eyes with flacks of lighter brown in them. She was also one of the most stubborn and spunky spirits that has ever faced the earth, and we here loved her for it. Her sarcasm was a work of art that I admire. She’s an inspiration for me. She spat in the food of the men who wouldn’t leave me alone the other night, she did things like this if she hated the table. All of the waiters knew this, and yet she was still able to keep her job; it was epic.


“Morning darlings, I have a cinnamon roll for each of you over there. I made some extra,” she spoke as she fiddled with some of the food with her back turned to us.


I smiled as I took one off the plate and leaned against the counter to watch Lucy at work. I couldn’t cook for my life. I found a way to burn Easy Mac in the microwave, so watching someone who could make the finest foods that anyone has ever tasted at work fascinated me. I took another bite of my breakfast, enjoying it. She made this fresh this morning, I could tell. Cory and I haven’t worked here long, but she treated us like her children since we were the youngest here. She was still waiting for her boyfriend of four years to pop the question to her. As much as she is sarcastic, she is very caring and protective over the people close to her and whom she worked with.


“So babies are you ready for a long day of work?”

“I am, but whether Abby is awake enough I think is the question,” Cory spoke, shoving the last bite of the cinnamon roll into his mouth as I stuck my tongue out at him, which he just did the same back to me.


“I’ll be fine, just give me a few minutes to wake up.”

To Be Continued at:

Available at :
BCP Paperback: $13.00

Amazon Paperback: $14.00

Kindle: $2.99

Nook: $2.99


For more fun!

Book Trailer


An Interview with Abby

Award!

Hey Lovelies!
Oh yeah look at me posting another post this week! Go Me! Litterally since :::drumrolls::: my blog received another award! Seriously you should check out the blog by Cambria! She is a serious sweet heart that keeps you on your toes. She is full of life and is one of the hosts of the radio show I listen to at Tuesdays at 8pm. Should check her out, she just got a book deal so I am excited to read when it comes out!

The rules for this award are far simpler than the last awards I got. There are no questions to answer. All I have to do is link back to Cambria (already done above) and then give the award to

1. Brittany

2. Sam

3. Lulu

4. RedHeaded

5. Paper wait

Congratulations on the award guys!! Show it proudly.
Now the only other things to do are:
A.) Copy and paste this award to your blog (if I picked you, obviously)
B.) Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers
C.) Have fun and support each other!

Happy Readings,

~Ottilie

Sample "Sunday"

Hey Lovelies,

Yes I know it is summer and I have a tendency of forgetting what day of the week it is, however I am aware of the fact that today is Monday! However I did have friends of the family over for the whole weekend, and they had a 5 year old and a 11 year old! So it was a safe bet that writing was not going to happen this weekend, so I am going to hopefully go into overdrive to make up for it! Other than going into NYC wednesday and work tuesday/thursday I should be able to do so! Little news I am considering writing a sequel to End of the Line, I'll work on the story and as I do so I'll see if It is up to my level to put out or not. I'm also hoping to keep working on Pirates' Life for Me before I go back to school (Aug. 30! yuck!). I don't know I might be over critical of the story, but we'll see, my friend Amy is currently looking over it, but she is going camping this week I believe so I might play around with the story. So some point this week I'm going to try to post something special for Family Ties just so the story gets a little more love!

So Since today is sample "Sunday" I figured I'd post a little of the new Chapter 1 of Project US. Awhile back I posted what use to be the prologue to Project US, but I've been working on the story a little, I am not done with Chapter 1, but I figured I'd give you all a little peek anyway! This story will probably be my most YA Chick Lit, mushy book, just so you all are warned, it'll still be hopefully keeping the readers on the edge of their seats!

Project US

Chapter One ~ Rachel

His fingers grazed hers bringing her attention back up to those blue eyes. The air seemed to be stuck in her throat as she was trying to find the words to say to him. This was the guy that she was finding herself in love with. Butterflies seemed flutter every time he even just looks at her. His mere touch seemed to turn her body aflame leaving her skin to tingle.

“Look,” he paused locking eyes with me and his eyes seemed to filled with such emotions. “I have never felt this way towards a girl, and to be honest I did not want to ever feel this way about another person.”

I felt his fingers interlacing with mine as he took a step closer to me.

“But, I love you,” he whispered as his other hand brushed some of my dark hair out of my face.
He slowly little by little drew close to my face, my eyes drifting close as I could feel his lips about to grace mine. My heart started to speed up as his lips started to timidly-

The bus hit a bump causing my book to jump out of my hands and my friend Bridget next to me jolt back awake. Glaring I picked up my book from my lap. I didn’t grow up with long car trips and this trip with school to Virginia was seriously killing me. Almost literally, reading in a car gave me a headache, but I was bored out of my mind I decided to risk it. My inner mind was as jittery as the characters from The Muppets Treasure Island movie when they sang that Captain Fever song.

“I swear bus drivers purposely choose to drive over bumps and pot holes at obnoxious speeds to be annoying,” Bridget mumbled trying to fall back to sleep.

“I know the feeling,” I answered not really paying attention to what my friend for years was saying.

I was narrowing my eyes as I scanned the pages at fast speeds trying to find where I was in the book as I flipped through the book. Just because I was in an unrealistic moment in the paperback doesn’t mean I shouldn’t enjoy a book because the guys in my grade sucked.

“Oh god, I know that scowl,” Bridget spoke in an even tone as I started flipping through again looking for key words. “Romantic scene?”

“Yup,” I spoke keeping my voice short.

“You really don’t have to be so cynical about love,” Bridget spoke and I raised my eyebrow at my friend.

She was wearing a floor length peasant style black skirt. In addition to wearing one of her corsets, a white one with black lace designs on the front with cap short sleeves. She has brown tight curly hair. Her hair has a little volume not that I could relate with my hair had a slight wave to it, but was thin. She was wearing her spider chocker and matching dangling earrings. She had thick black eyeliner one almost in Egyptian style. I’m sure there was a Barbie cheerleader out there senses were tingling with Bridget calling me out on dreamy ideologies about love.

“But, but it is so much fun picking on the lovey dovey airheads in books,” I faked a whine, batting my eyelashes.

“I really can’t wait till you fall in love and I can poke you for all the details all the while laughing at I was right,” Bridget jabbed before starting to repeatedly diving her finger in and out of my shoulder.

“When that day happens, I’ll allow you to drop a piano on my head.”

I started to finger stab her back, giving up a second to get her back instead of looking for where I was in the book. We were fifteen years old in our sophomore year of high school, but we still had our childish moments. She and I still meander into the Disney store despite the stares we might receive. We met in sixth grade, but really bonded in eighth grade homeroom when we became just closer each day.

“A piano would kill you, when would I be able to gloat with you dead?” she laughed.
I smiled rolling my eyes.

“Love you too.”

Bridget just grinned.

We were getting a little edgy, the class trip started very early in the morning before the sun had even started to peak into the sky and we were still not done driving from central New Jersey to Virginia.

“Man, why couldn’t you and I be sharing a room?” I asked, feeling my shoulders slump.

“I know, I really wonder who we are rooming with.”

Leave it to school to turn a fun trip, a few days from classes into a project. The project was vague, ‘something to teach us on working together that will further help us understand what being an adult meant’. Their words, not mine, my wording would be waste of time along with frustration while working with someone you wouldn’t normally deal with. It was part of some new curriculum that they wanted to test out on my grade. I really feel like my grade really gets all the new tests, new scheduling, added section to the state test, and now this! Also we were having our eighth grade trip now, the school put off our trip for two years just for this project.
We weren’t really told much about the project just that it’ll start during the trip, we will have to work closely with our partner, and that it’ll last the whole school year! I really don’t know what jerk thought that up, but they really should be taken out back and suffer. Possibly being tied to one of the uncomfortable desk chairs, with a broken speaker stuck on, and to just top it off a just for show air conditioner in August of New Jersey would be a good enough punishment for this person. Leave it to Adams High to do a project all year, I always had such bad luck with group work, they really were hell on earth.

“Think positively, maybe you’ll get someone you really don’t know.”

I raised my eyebrow again.

“That won’t take much, our grade is what four hundred people?” I asked.

Bridget shrugged.

“Sounds about right.”

“Aren’t you worried about who you are working with?” I asked, trying to figure out if she was only as calm as she was because she was still waking up.

“Not everyone is as crazy curious as you are,” she spoke rubbing her eyes a little while trying not to smug her eyeliner. “Did I screw up the eyes?”

I shook my head.

“I can’t help it, I don’t want to screw up a grade and that is a long time to work with someone.”

“True, I’ll worry about it when we cross that road.”

I fused my eyebrows and my green eyes met her dark brown ones.

“Why can’t you and I ever be calm at the same time.”

She smirked.

“We balance each other out what can I say love,” she spoke, oh yes she occasionally picks up Shakespearian lingo.

I gave a light laugh.

“Isn’t that the truth.”

An hour later our bus finally pulled up behind the other buses from our school at our hotel. The girls and boys were separated on the buses, which wasn’t a detail that was presented onto us till people started to tell what their bus number was. Nick March, he and I have had classes together since kindergarten were talking about our numbers when the whole homeroom noticed the segregation of sexes.

Nick March and I have an odd relationship always have as long as I can remember. We were school friends, talked when we had classes together might say hi in the halls, but never try to hangout with each other outside of school. Nick and I talk about whatever, school, movies, and random jokes comments during class when we are near each other. This was a guy who saved me a swing once in kindergarten the day we met and is also the same classmate who with a slightly different crowd. I’ve heard him in homeroom talking about the parties he’s gone to, and had to sneak back into his house at god forsaken hours. I never really saw that side of him and I was more then okay with that. However I was pretty sure he wanted to wring my neck for trying to figure out what the project was, he was trying to push away the thought of doing more homework I knew it. We’ve worked enough together in class for me to know when he was trying to prolong school work.

Our two chaperons on our bus, Miss Barnes and Ms Dixon finally seemed to remember that there were students and the purpose to this trip as their discussion seemed to stop. Miss Barnes is my English teacher who still had a very sweet childish face. She has dark red hair that ends curled at her shoulders and freckles across her nose. She was fishing in her bag for something as Ms Dixon my math teacher had her everlastingly formed glower on her face, a raised dark eyebrow towards Miss Barnes. Ms Dixon has dark curly hair in a low pony tale that she wore every single day. Ms Dixon unlike Miss Barnes did not have an endless supply of patience.

“Tell me you did not lose the room keys,” Ms Dixon spoke, her words direct, and sharp.

“I did not misplace the keys Ally. I just have a lot of stuff in my bag!” Miss Barnes giggled.

“Companies make bags so big these days, it is hard not to put a whole lot of stuff in them!”

Ms Dixon didn’t even crack a smile as Miss Barnes head bobbed back and forth, probably humming to herself as she looked for the keys, she did that in class.

“Aha!” She wore a grand grin on her face as she held up the bundle of keys, Ms Dixon stone face lacked the enthusiasm that Miss Barnes had.

“Lovely, you can do your job.” Ms Dixon remarked.

Miss Barnes rolled her eyes, she did work with high school students after all.

“Was your sense of humor accidently tossed out of the bus window? Live a little!” Miss Barnes stood up in the middle of the alias. “Ladies! I’m about to pass out your keys so we can get the ball rolling! Now, Laurie Doyle where are you?”

I turned my head taking a deep breath before letting it go, trying to calm my nerves from popping around like popcorn kernels in a microwave. My eyes watched as the boys walked, jumped, ran off their buses then go into the chaotic mess that was the mob of boys trying to get a hold of their belongings under the buses. I was truly not looking forward to pushing through people to grab my duffle bag. The crowd of males slowly dwindled as they were herded into the building.

“Rachel Hertz!” Miss Barnes peeped up, her voice light and peppy, I looked up and she just turned around with a sweet smile on her face, I was one of her students and she knew me. “Here you are darling.”

I leaned over Bridget a little taking the key, not even looking at it to see my room number, my eyes just glanced back to the hotel door, the guys were completely gone from sight.

“Rachel what is your room number?” Bridget asked.

I dropped my vision onto the piece of plastic in my hands.

“Um 228, you?” I asked with a simple shrug of my shoulders.

“226, we are next to each other!” her lips turned upwards, eyes beaming. “That could be helpful!”

I snorted.

“Maybe, they are having night check.”

She shoved my shoulder.

“You can be a pain.”

I rolled my eyes. She stood up fixing her long skirt as we got off the bus. She probably did not have the best wardrobe for a field trip let alone one including a long drive. I tried to walk down the stair s a little space while we walked down the stairs so that I would not walk on her skirt or pull it down. Once we got down I stayed back a little with Bridget before going over to take my bag, didn’t feel like dealing with a large amount of people in one area. Once some left Bridget and I pushed forward, grabbing our belongings before heading into the hotel, I have a thing against elevators so I made Bridget take the stairs. We were on a different bus then our other friends, and I didn’t fee like looking for them in this mess, it was every person for themselves in this crowd!

To be continued....