It's a band thing

Hello!
Look at this, two posts in one week! Do you think it'll last? I hope so. Right now I'm listening to some 90s/00s music. I'm kind of in the flashback feel. I'm writing one story (which I'll come back to), but I've started editing a band story. It is a short story for now, maybe eventually I'll revisit for a longer story. However, I think short and sweet is better for it. I don't know if I've brought this up or not before, but in high school I was in marching band. From grades four right until I graduated high school I was in band with my clarinet. My last year I decided to add Jazz band and tried to learn Alto Saxophone for it, it was interesting to say the least.

When I was in high school I did most of my writing, if you can't tell with me continuously saying I'm going back to rework a story. I don't know if it is because I had more time on my hands, or I was more creative then. To be honest, I'm hoping it is the first option. I started a story about being in band. It got out and the beginning might have been passed around by a few people. It ended up in my band director's hands, yikes! He took it, but I never heard or saw that printed copy again. He never addressed it with me either. I doubted he read it, if I was, I probably would have skimmed it purely out of curiosity.

Like many of my stories I got into a corner and stopped. As I was going through my old files to make sure I got everything on my new computer I came across the band story. I like to open up old stories every once in awhile to cringe at the writing style, but curious to see what that story was about because sometimes I forget. The bad grammar (yes it used to be worse!) didn't hide the funny story behind it. I talked to my friend Amy (cover of End of the Line second edition, not Amy Eye, but another friend of my from school who has been mentioned on here before) about the story. Then little by little the past month I finished it. It was fun to go back through the past at a few select football games and try to remember those days. Much like the main character living through it seemed trivial, but look back changes the view a little.

Unfortunately one of the things I did to rewrite it was to trim back on the number of characters. Originally I was going to have more characters based on people who impacted my band years. However, for a short story I thought they were too many, plus, I didn't want to contact that many people randomly on Facebook to get permission. After I finished my draft, I sent it to four people who I was in band with and their likeness made it into the story. I wanted to make sure that they were okay with a character that was like them, and okay with how they were projected.

It didn't take for the people to respond. I was pleasantly shocked because two of them I haven't talked to in a long time. However, all four were surprisingly surprised with their feedback. They thought it was funny and were curious on when it would be released. Which brings me to, I'm currently editing the band story which will be one of a few stories to be released in 2019. Hopefully 2019 will be as productive as I hope it will be! So if you are ready to laugh and relive (or if you're currently living through) the band days, please keep your eyes out for the story that I called Band Story. I'm hoping to come up with a better title soon. Also, some events in the story are real, and some aren't, it'll be up to you to figure out which is real or not.

I am also hoping to include a couple of pictures in the back of the story as well. Maybe ;)

Updated Blog

Good Morning!
Well, I guess it's really noon, minor details right? My yard felt is currently becoming a swamp with all the rain we've been getting. I'm waiting for Noah to float by me. Anyone else? I'm kind of bumming it this weekend because this head cold is really kicking my butt. Luckily I don't have the flu which has made itself very well known in the school that I work at. So I'm taking this couch time to work on my blog. It was probably time for some updating. It's been a few years. I tried to do this once, before, but I went a little further this time. Part of it is that I write for young adults and adults. So I felt like I needed something nothing too kiddish. I referred to it as something more 'neutral'. My fiance kind of laughed at me.

What do you all think of the updates? The fonts? The colors? What am I missing? Is there something you'd like to see on here? I'm trying to make it more of a site and blog. I'm always up for suggestions, as you all know I try to be text savvy, but end up being more entertaining for everyone else around. me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Define a Hero ~ Early Release

Good Morning,
I'm in bed with the dogs who don't understand the concept of sleeping in. They woke me up before seven and have managed to go outside three times before eight. I guess that just means I'll have an early start this morning? We'll hope I'm more productive than I was yesterday!

Talking about early start I woke up this morning and Define a Hero has already had an ebook sold! I was going to announce this morning that I released Define a Hero a few days early and someone beat me to the race! Thank you person! I hope that you all enjoy the last installment in this Beneath the Scars trilogy. It is bitter sweet to say goodbye to this series, but it is nice to have it finished. Again you do not have to read the three in order, but I would suggest it. Each one is about a different couple. It was a nice change to write in adult mindset instead of young adult, I may go back to that. :)

Define a Hero
A few years ago Riley Nolan saved a young man when his foot got stuck on the hood of a truck. Saving Lucas’ life had forever changed Riley's. On another tour, Lucas, lost his leg and he was discharged. While living with his parents he watches his niece and nephew after school. Thanks to his nephew, Lucas starts to befriend his nephew's teacher. As they get closer Lucas begins to notice that Sonja is in serious trouble. Every time they spend time together, Sonja gets more confused, and further in danger.

Amazon

BN

Smashwords

Call for Help
Jack Corrente was once part of the same unit as Riley Nolan. Now after serving Jack is back in his hometown. On the outside he looks like his regular self. He is working at the same mechanic shop he worked at in high school, he goes out with his friends, and helps his mom around her house. On the inside though he is constantly battling the shadows from his past.One night, his high school sweetheart, Faye Harper, accidentally calls him. His mind becomes swampy with memories of Faye and of his tours. Faye was ready to escape the small town as soon as she received her NYU acceptance letter. She is now states away in New York City. She has a job that she likes and a fast pace life. However, ever since that phone call she wonders if she took her current path for the right reasons.

Amazon

BN

Smashwords



Then there is the book that started it all.

Beneath the Scars
Corporal Riley Nolan is back home and out of the hospital after sustaining severe injuries in a skirmish overseas. His physical injuries may be healed, though he is left with horrible scars all over his body. His mind is still healing, and he has almost no contact with the world outside his small dark apartment.

After the death of her parents and being forced to sell their house and move into an apartment in a new town, Eponine is left picking up the pieces while trying to maintain a normal life for her little sister, Genevieve.

Can these new neighbors help each other heal, finding the light and laughter in the world again? Most importantly, can Eponine help Riley see he's not the monster he believes himself to be beneath the scars?

Amazon

BN

Smashwords

Newish story

Hello!
It's nighttime here, not my usual posting time. The fiance is playing his video game, Savannah is curled between us on the couch, and I'm writing. Well, more so outlining, which isn't something I normally do, a short story. After working on two Beneath the Scars stories and editing Family Ties 2 I had a lot of PTSD to be working on.

That's something I hope to never have to worry about and my heart goes out to the families that do work through it. It's a dark place mentally, so I put a couple other stories on the back burner and decided to work on something light and hopefully funny.

Back in high school I started a story about a group of high schoolers in marching band. I worked on it as I was in marching band myself. It had a lot of stuff we actually went through. Of course it was only the first couple of chapters but the band director (who wasnt portrayed in the best lighting) got a hold of it. Oops! He never approached me about it and I'd like to pretend he didnt actually read it.

I was trying to organize my writing folder on my computer to make sure everything transferred over. I clicked on it and felt a little nostalgia take over me. Talking to someone I am still friends with from band she kind of encouraged me pick it up again. It'll be a little weird to write something with zero romance, but let's take on a challenge right?

Cover Reveal ~ Define a Hero

Good Morning!
There is frost on the ground, the perfect curl up inside and see a cover reveal weather. Don't you agree? Then again I keep thinking I'll be on a beach in Mexico in less than six months. It'll still be the summer here so it won't be an escape from the weather. I am talking about my honeymoon in July. Well, lets get back to the cover reveal on hand!

Beneath the Scars was a book I didn't think would be in a series. I just had the idea and ran with it. Define a Hero will be released February 15! That means a couple of weeks left until it is released. I have the first two discount to .99 so if you haven't read the first two you have the chance. I made sure all ebooks has that discounted price. I hope that you all like the cover as much as I do. I keep thinking I'm going to have a non-blue cover, then another one looks good in blue. Oops! I got the image from Shutterfly.

 Smashwords (Pre-order)
Goodreads

What's next?

Happy Monday!
Last night I finished the epilogue for Mistakes #5. I had finished that awhile ago, but the ending felt unfinished for me, which is one of my issues with short stories to begin with. Then in the midst of editing Call for Help I figured out what I wanted to do. Between all the other edits I put that on hold and finally was just now able to go back to it.

I know each story was a bout a different group and them finally coming together. So i gave each group their own ending in the epilogue. I feel much better with the ending now. Hopefully I can get that and a couple others to an editor soon. My financial situation kind of changed recently and hopefully will again soon so that I can get three stories to an editor soon. Plus getting stuff ready for my wedding in a few months. Wow that was crazy to say!

So until then, what am I going to be working on writing wise you may ask? That is a very good question. I'm debating on fixing up q scifi story I started in high school. After hanging out with some friends they suggested I write a horror story, apparently they thought I had a little sick in the head. I'll have to see what works out attention span wise and keep you all in the loop!

Until then, please come visit next weekend because I will be doing a cover reveal of Beneath the Scars 3, Define a Hero!

Finale

Good morning!
It is almost 8:30am by me but I've been up since quarter to seven because of the dogs. Savannah and Leo usually dont wake me up that early, but it is what it is at this point! I just couldn't go back to sleep afterwards. So instead I'm in bed with the dogs listening to the rain ice mixture coming down in my Minnie Mouse pjs. Because everyone in my family got a matching set!

Sorry for not posting much during the holidays and December. I had some family stuff going on that I was dealing with then my fiance and I were traveling to different family members during the holidays.

Plus we did a little wedding stuff while we were up. I got to see my actual dress for the first time! Back in June I went to a local store by my parents with my mom, sister, Grammy, and my future mother in law. I picked a dress in less than 10 dresses (might have been like the 7th or 8th). However, I got to see my dress which was in my size and correct color. I was a little anxious to see it and was hoping I made the right choice. When I saw it I loved it all over again. It was so hard to come see my fiance afterwards and not tell him anything. He laughed. After knowing each other for 11 years it's hard to withhold from him. My mom and I also decorated a cupcake display for the ceremony. Six months today I will be getting married!!

I'm late with posting the release date, but I will be doing that today. Yesterday I finished up the edits and did most of the formatting on Define a Hero (Beneath the Scars 3). I will be releasing the last in this series on February 15! A little over a month today. Put that date on your calendar because that will be the last Beneath the Scars book to be published. The end of the trilogy. Aren't you curious to meet Lucas Edwards? The man that Riley Nolan had saved all those years ago

I have three other stories that should be released this year, but we'll have to see how I can time that. The finances changed a little in our household so I'll have to see when I can do all that. Keep warm on this yucky day!