Recharging My Batteries
At the beginning of this month, I treated myself to some time away, all alone. At first it was weird, but I found that I got a lot out of the quiet and the ability to focus just on my creativity, even if I wasn’t writing 24-7.
I was at one of my favorite kinds of places: woods and water! The cabin I rented sat, literally, right on the edge of a creek, with a swing on the screened-in porch where I could sit and listen to the water flowing over the rocks and write. One morning, I opened the door and walked onto the porch—and startled a blue heron fishing in the creek! When he flew off, his wingspan had to be six feet minimum. He was a beautiful sight!
As you can see, I spent some time dipping my feet in the water, hiking nearby trails, and walking along a lake in the town next door. This is where I wrote the Halloween short for Southern Nights (if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, go here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xoh4op3939
), where I made connections and plotted and even wrote a little on Only for the Moment and my assassins project. And this is where I began to trust just a little more in my returning creativity and love for writing. 😊
What about you? Where do you go to recharge your batteries?
Publishing Anniversary!
Today marks *FOUR YEARS* since my first book was released into the wild. Four years! WOW! I can’t get over how much has happened since then. Ten books. A couple more in the wings or waiting to be released. Building a career. Changes in my family. It’s been the most incredible journey, all thanks to my readers!
Today, to say thank you, I’m doing a FLASH GIVEAWAY just for you! Comment below with the first book of mine you ever read (if you remember what it was 😉 ), and you’ll be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card (or other retailer of your choice) and a signed paperback copy of my first book ever, Dirty Little Secret.
Come on over to my Facebook page to enter!
***CONTEST ENDS OCTOBER 12TH AT NOON!!!***
Inspiration!
Friday Inspiration
I’m thinking about a nightclub scene in the next IF ONLY book, something sexy and sensual and definitely leading to…well, you know. ;) I’ve been garnering “inspiration” from the couple in this video.
Whew! I think I need a drink!
Balance
How do I find that balance?
In all honesty, I think that’s a never-ending journey. Every time a rock shifts, we have to realign. Every time something settles, we have to readjust. In this new stage of life, I’m still finding my way. I know I’m doing something right, though, because I’m writing. And I’m finding joy. Those are the best indicators of balance for me.
How about you? How do you find balance? How do you know when you’ve succeeded?
Balance.
It’s an easy word to say. Not so hard to live.
A lot of the parts of my life are out of balance right now. Getting my oldest settled in college. My youngest getting his driver’s license—oy! Reorganizing my work so I have more time to focus on writing. Things falling by the wayside, and new things cropping up to stuff themselves in their place. If I’ve learned anything in over four decades of life, it’s that the chaos never stops, but my body and emotions need balance.
Binge Reads!
So what about you — series or not? What’s your favorite? (I need to add to my TBR! :P )
Want to check out Eden and Scarlett’s books? You can, right here:
I love reading a romance series. There’s nothing better to me than being able to visit couples from previous books again and again and again, seeing little glimpses of their lives while learning all new things about characters I’m just getting to know. The past couple of months, I’ve binged on two fantastic series that my assistant introduced me to: Eden Summers’s RECKLESS BEAT series and Scarlett Cole’s SECOND CIRCLE TATTOOS series. I’ve loved them both! And Scarlett’s series even has a followup, PRELOAD, that I now get to start on. I can’t tell you how excited I am. 😃
September Contest!
* * * September Monthly Contest * * *
Blue Collars Vs. Billionaires
September, finally! Cooler weather is coming, and before then, we get Labor Day — YAY! So this month I’m celebrating the broad range of alpha heroes by asking which one you like best:
*Blue-collar heroes – mechanics, soldiers, fighters…
OR
*Billionaire heroes – CEOs, heirs with a cause, tech geniuses…
Tell me who you love! (Bonus points if you *show* me. ;) )
One lucky commenter will win e-book copies of TWO of my backlist books. (Already have them all? Enter anyway; I’ll give you two of another author’s backlist books instead!)
*** Likes and shares with your booklover friends are appreciated but not required! Contest ends SEPTEMBER 29th. ***
Hop on over and check out the contest on my Facebook page!
On My iPod
It's Friday! Normally on Fridays, I post a feature on my Facebook author page called "On My iPod" where I share songs inspiring my current project (songs that will later appear on that books official playlist). And because there's not a ton of crossover, I thought I'd begin sharing those Friday tidbits here on the News as well. Would you enjoy that?
Good! ;)
I'm still hard at work on both Dain and Olivia's story AND Deacon and Elliot's story. And the whole clan seems particularly drawn to Fall Out Boy for some reason. :) In fact, every time I think about Deacon and Elliot butting heads, one particular song comes to mind. Elliot is a bit of a firecracker, after all...
(Enjoy!)
Fall Updates!
Is it really already fall? It doesn't feel like it here in the South. It's still hot and muggy and sticky. Ugh! But the cotton is starting to puff out in fluffy white balls, so cool weather isn't too far off.
The summer has definitely been busy. I spent it at the coffee shop near my house, typing and editing madly in an effort to get new books to you. So what's coming? I guess it's time I let you know... ;)
The first Archai Warriors book, Griffin Undone, is almost ready. BUT...there's always a but, isn't there? *insert evil laugh here* BUT I've decided not to torture you with a new release in a new genre with no second book ready yet. So I'll be holding on to Griffin until book two is almost complete, and then I'll let you know about a release. No worries! It should be this coming spring if Sun and his warriors will cooperate. His woman, Risk, might make things difficult though!
In the meantime, I'm currently working on two books at once, the next installments in the Southern Nights series. Teach Me and Trust Me, books one and two in the series, were based on Conlan James and Jack Quinn, owners of JCL Security. The next trilogy (and bonus novella) will be centered on one of Jack and Con's security teams. Want to meet them?
Dain Brannan, AKA "Daddy"
Position: Team Lead; in charge of intel and research.
Dain is known for taking care of his team, especially their female member, Elliot, as well as he takes care of the love of his life, his wife, Olivia.
* * *
Elliot Smith, AKA "Otter"
Position: Dain's Second in Command
Elliot is as surly as she is secretive. The team calls her Otter because she's anything but playful.
* * *
Kingsley Moncrief, AKA "King"
Position: Team Liason
King might've been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but when it comes to danger, he's deadly.
* * *
Saint Ignatius Solorio, AKA "Saint"
Position: Weapons and Logistics Specialist
Iggy might be the joker of the group, but when it comes to his name, he's not laughing, so don't make fun. You don't want to end up on the wrong side of his weapons.
* * *
The team's stories begin late this fall with Dain and Olivia's story, as yet untitled. In the meantime, I'll be releasing the first three Southern Nights books in an all-in-one e-book anthology, so keep an eye on your inbox this fall!
What I've Been Reading: Writer's Doubt
So I took a little detour with my reading this month. I've been doing a lot of nonfiction reading lately. One day my sis, Dani Wade, sent me a text: "Go get this book!" The book? Writer's Doubt: The #1 Enemy of Writing (and What You Can Do About It) by Bryan Hutchinson. And you know what? She was 100% right.
So I took a little detour with my reading this month. I've been doing a lot of nonfiction reading lately. One day my sis, Dani Wade, sent me a text: "Go get this book!" The book? Writer's Doubt: The #1 Enemy of Writing (and What You Can Do About It) by Bryan Hutchinson. And you know what? She was 100% right.
I've been talking a little bit more openly about the struggles I've had with writer's block. I think the prevalence of so many writers who poo-poo the idea of writer's block only serves to make those of us who have experienced doubt ourselves more. And that doubt only serves to compound the probem. We who struggle in this area have to learn not only to tune out the naysayers and root out the sources of our blocks, but we also have to combat the doubt that can creep in.
Writer's Doubt begins with Bryan's story of how he came to be a writer. One of the things I love is that Bryan says something in the beginning of the book that I've come to realize myself over time:
...if we keep our stories, our feelings and our experiences hidden inside of us, it is much more difficult to heal and find answers. So many people remain secretive, so secretive that they’re never able to actually seek help for their internal conflicts. If you want to be honest with your readers and yourself, put everything on the page and leave your comfort zone behind.
Now, this is probably targeted toward nonfiction writers, but as a romance writer, I've found that a lot of the emotions I've experienced over time tend to come out on the page. Not as exact experiences, and not as a one-to-one translation, but they do come out. Take Me began with the idea of a mother who lost her child. I also lost a child, not the way Peyton did -- her child was kidnapped; mine died -- but I found myself thinking of those emotions, drawing them out like you would draw out poison, as I put words to the page. Facing our past helps us heal, and writing can help us do that, whatever form it takes.
Of course, the book isn't just about emotions and memories. It's full of tons of practical advice. Ways to write when you're blocked (notebooks, journals, nonwriting options), where to write. The section on writing rituals and getting into the writing zone reminded me I'd sort of abandoned that part of my early writing career when I got bogged down in a year's worth of edits. Practical advice on not only writing but publishing what you write. There is a lot of meat here, not just fluff.
My favorite piece of advice?
Your first draft is not crap no matter how far from perfect it might be.
There really is a ton of great things not just to learn but to really think about as you read this book. I'm not going to tell you any more. You need to go get it and learn for yourself, explore for yourself, consider things you never really considered about yourself. You'll come out the other side with a whole new outlook. :)
~ Ella
Hump Day Healthy Writer
I have a secret: for the past year I've worried that I'd lost my mojo. Sometimes I wondered if I wanted to write at all. Every day at the page seemed to be a battle, and I knew deep down it would be easier to give up the fight and just go back to being someone's employee instead of the boss. The responsible one. The creative one. So why didn't I? Because I couldn't.
I have a secret: for the past year I've worried that I'd lost my mojo. Sometimes I wondered if I wanted to write at all. Every day at the page seemed to be a battle, and I knew deep down it would be easier to give up the fight and just go back to being someone's employee instead of the boss. The responsible one. The creative one. So why didn't I? Because I couldn't.
First, I knew without a doubt that writing is what I'm meant to do. I've always known it. I can't forget about it even if I don't actually do it. So there's that.
Second, I knew that the loss of my creativity -- and that's exactly what it was -- had nothing to do with whether or not I was a writer in my heart. Really it was all about chemistry. My body chemistry. My health. There were a lot of health issues, old and many many new, that were pouring down on my head. They were the thieves stealing my mojo. I just couldn't figure out how to steal it back.
Some days I still don't know. But I'm slowly beginning to understand, to find answers for myself and find others who know answers. And I want to share those answers with you.
Readers or writers, we all have minds, and sometimes those minds don't work like they're supposed to. Mine doesn't, not anymore. I'll get into why in later HDHW posts, but suffice it to say my mind, my moods, my ability to write and sometimes even think has been impacted in a way I never expected -- and was totally clueless how to deal with. I've been on a long journey, and I've learned a little here and there along the way. I'm not a medical professional. I'm not a health guru. I'm just an ordinary woman who had to find answers when no one else seemed to have them. I'm a writer who watched her mind slowly dying and knew she had to do something. If you've ever felt the same, or if you've felt the effects of isolation, constant computer use, and the other tolls of this job (and many others in our tech-heavy world), then this blog series is for you.
And hopefully me, because I want to learn from you too.
Check back the first Wednesday of every month for a new Hump Day Healthy Writer, and share your experiences and what works for you. You never know who can be helped by the small piece of wisdom you possess.
~ Ella
Starting Anew
Starting a new book isn't easy for me. I see a lot of authors post about writing "The End," and then the next day's post is all about the book they just dived right into overnight. Believe me, I wish I was like that, but I'm soooo not! I'm currently working my way into Hank and Sage's book, and not only do I not have a title, but I don't have much actual "book." The scenes read more like sketches than anything else. There's no pizzazz, no wonder, no spark. It's like a story "bud" instead of a story ready to flower.
Lord help me.
But really, this is how every book is for me. I am a plotter, so I almost always have an idea of where the book itself is going, but also where the next few scenes are going in detail. Still, it takes me a while to find the "spark" that ignites both my interest and the characters' personalities. And with every book I worry I won't discover that spark. Where is it? When will I happen upon it? What if it never appears and this book sucks wet stinky socks?
...
You get the picture. I've never not found the spark, but it weighs heavy on my mind until I do. In the meantime, I pick up tiny bits of my characters' lives and personalities, bringing them slowly to life. Hank, for instance, has a dog. I didn't know that until this morning. Of course, neither Hank nor said dog care in the least that I have no dogs and know almost nothing about actually owning a dog. Hank said he had a dog, and so he has a dog. Oy. Now to figure out the dog's personality. :)
Thankfully I have plenty of time to meddle in other story ideas while this one fleshes out. Ian and Cassie's book, for instance, which I'm hoping to put out as a Christmas novella. And another small surprise novella that may or may not come out this year. Just depends on if I have time to figure out those characters along with my two currently ornery couples. We'll see. So many love stories, so little time!
Have a great week!
~ Ella
Hard on Ourselves
I've recently lost some weight. I know, I should be jumping for joy, right? But before a recent trip to see family, I stood in the dressing room at Target despairing because my new size was "only" a TEN. I haven't been a size ten in twenty years. I didn't look in the mirror and see all the things that have improved about my body; I saw all the flaws I thought should be fixed still. Why are we so hard on ourselves?
Recently cyberspace has been full of articles that "debunk" the idea that marriage is hard work. (Something about a celebrity couple and marriage and what they had to say about it... Whatever.) A couple of weeks ago I happened upon a thread in a friend's Facebook feed asking if the women who followed her agreed or disagreed. So many women said marriage isn't supposed to be "work," and if it is, you're doing something wrong. Which of course means I looked at the marriage I've worked very hard on and despaired. "I must be doing something wrong."
No, no I'm not. Sometimes I think we only value what is easy, when in fact it should be just the opposite. It's easy to value the $50 dinner you only pay for, not prepare, but nothing can compare to that feeling of buying the best ingredients, spending time at the stove, and striving hard to make food you and others will love. Both are good options, but easy doesn't = better.
I'm beginning this week working on my latest book. It doesn't have a title yet, but it has a premise. The things you have to work for are often the best. Hank, my hero, isn't looking for love; he certainly isn't looking for anything complicated. But the moment he meets Sage, he knows she's worth it. She's complicated, and she's hiding secrets that she's afraid Hank won't want to deal with. She's hard on herself. But Hank truly sees her, and is willing to work to make their relationship fulfill both of their needs. There's nothing better than that.
And that's why he's my hero. :)
Try not to be too hard on yourself this week. Enjoy what you have, what has come easily, what has come the hard way, and look forward to both in the future. Every journey is worthy, no matter how hard we have to work to complete it -- we just have to be willing.
~ Ella
FUN New Contest!
I've got a contest going this week to guess my next book hero! Before I reveal the details, I thought it might be exciting to have my readers guess -- and possibly win a little treat ($15 Amazon Gift Card). :) Check out the hints on the photo below, then go to the Rafflecopter giveaway to enter your best guess (no points off for wrong names either!). The winner will be revealed (as well as the hero) in my newsletter this weekend and here on the blog. (Contest ends Saturday, 7/18.)
To enter, go to the Rafflecopter giveaway page and enter your best guess! And if you want to learn more about this sexy hero, sign up for my newsletter before this weekend.
Have a great week!
~ Ella
The Rest of the Summer...
This summer has been filled with getting TAKE ME complete, getting ready for release, getting my head on straight as I tried to keep everything together and in order... You get the picture. :) Now I find myself in the enviable position of deciding where to go next. My plan all along has been to write Ian and Cassie (from Secrets To Hide), but over the weekend spent at the beach with family, that idea got derailed. By this guy:
Who is he? Well, I'm not quite ready to say yet. When a book first comes to me, I need it to marinate, to let all the flavors develop and see exactly where I want to go first before I talk about it. But I couldn't help teasing you! I do know I've never written a book like this before. I will say that you've met that gorgeous hunk before -- this book will be a spin-off of the Secrets To Hide series. But more than that, I'm not going to reveal, not yet. ;)
Ian and Cassie are still in the works (and still untitled, as you can tell!), but I felt they needed more time to gel in my mind. Their story will get written, never fear. I've been so consumed with the Southern Nights series for so long, almost a year, that I've had a hard time grasping anything else -- which is why the big guy up there took me so much by surprise! You're gonna love him; I just know it.
Now I'm off to the day job and then more work on H-- Oh, wait, not supposed to say that yet... :p
~ Ella
#AmWriting
Gabe and Sam and Peyton are on their way! This month is the final push to get the rough draft finished and off to my fabulous editor, Rory Olsen. Look for a definite release date to be announced around mid-May -- or sign up for my newsletter to be the first ones to know! I'll surface as soon as these characters let go of me...
New Year's Resolutions
Staring at the blank page before you Open up the dirty window Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance So close you can almost taste it Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
~ "Unwritten," Natasha Beddingfield
This song has struck me hard the past few months. Why? Because I've spent a lot of time working. A lot. There's no better way to describe it except maybe that I've been drowning. So many of us find ourselves in this place at some point in our lives, wondering how to get out of the hole that seems to be consuming us. So many of us never find the answer, but I was determined to. I want to "live with arms wide open," not with my eyes forever on a computer screen. And so my New Year's resolution is just that:
I want to live with my eyes, arms, and heart open -- to my family, to my creativity, to my faith, and most of all, to those around me.
I'm still figuring out what that means for me. My first step is to LOOK UP. I spend a lot of time looking down -- at the computer, at the ground, at my feet because I'm too shy or too self-conscious or too scared to meet other people's eyes. Not anymore. I'm looking up, really trying to see the world around me, not just the characters in my head or the work that's waiting for me.
There will still be plenty of characters, of course. TRUST ME will be here on February 1st. TAKE ME, book three in the Southern Nights series, will be released this spring, featuring the enigmatic Gabe Williams and his twin brother, Sam. Hopefully Ian's book in the Secrets To Hide series will be written and released later this summer. And if all goes well, there just might be a new genre on the horizon. That's right; my paranormal series, The Archai, is on my to-do list this year.
And in and around all of these great books will be lots of moments of living intentionally, of looking up and truly seeing and living, not burying my head in the sand or letting work rule my life. What about you? What is your New Year's resolution this year? Inquiring minds (like mine!) want to know... :)
~ Ella
NaNoWriMo Naughty Girl Style!
I'm just everywhere lately, aren't I? :) I'm talking on the Nice Girls Writing Naughty blog today about NaNoWriMo and how to use conflict to further your story. Check it out: #NaNoWriMo Naughty Style: Day Two!
Funny Friday: The Writer's Life...
Sometimes when you sit down at the computer, ideas buzzing in your head, you find that sweet communion with your muse and out pours the story you long to tell. And then some days, you sit down at the computer, ideas buzzing in your head...and you get this:
:)
~ Ella
Tech Hubby
I've been married since 1995. I've always known my husband and I were opposites: I love books; he loves science tomes. I love rock 'n' roll; he loves Rush and trance. I like Big Bang Theory; he likes... Okay, we both share that one.
The point is, my husband is very different from me, but I never realized just how valuable that could be until I started plotting stories that needed believable technology.
See, Tech Hubby keeps up with all the latest trends in science and technology. Part of that is necessity; he works in engineering in a city chockfull of engineers, so he's expected to know the latest advances. But he also just loves knowing the latest about computers and security and engineering and space exploration. As a long-time NASA employee, he knew astronauts, met with them daily, helped monitor space flights and experiments on the space station, and even now, many light-years from Houston, he craves information about Mars and the Hubble telescope and even commercial space flight. He builds his own computers and is always reading some new development in tech or communications or whatever makes my eyes glaze over. His degrees in physics and material sciences means he actually understands that information too, and when I ask him about satellite usage or how to fool computer programs or how to hack someone's phone or whatever, he can usually tell me. It's like having my very own expert right here at my side, except I get the added benefit of cuddling at night. :) Whenever I'm stuck, he's right there. It's awesome.
And no, I won't answer the question of what else he's an expert in. Pull your mind out of the gutter!
;)
I won't share inside knowledge about hubby's antics, but I will keep you up-to-date with all the exciting things I've got going on these days (outside the bedroom, you naughty readers!). To get in on the action (haha! that just totally came out there; it really did!), be sure and sign up for my newsletter. I promise not to hold back any sexy PUBLISHING details -- or (not my husband) man candy. ;)
*Photo courtesy of Robert McGoldrick.
Write What You Know
I’ve recently been reading Stephen King’s On Writing. The first half relates King’s memories of his life “so far” (I say that because the book was originally written on 2000, so it falls fourteen years short, so to speak :) ), and the second half involves King’s thoughts on the process of writing.
It is a privilege to learn from the great writers of our time. The thing I find interesting about this particular book is that it focuses so much on what is, essentially, the making of a writer. In so many ways you can see the elements that pushed King to become the author he is now. You can see the determination every writer must have as he recounts rejection after rejection, writing—and submitting—from a uniquely and honestly, unbelievably young age. His childhood, his young adult friendships and family life and even a life-threatening car accident—each and every experience informed his writing, and it wasn’t because he was a teenage girl being rejected by her high school peers and using her psychic powers for revenge.
No, what he experienced was emotion.
Every beginning writer has heard the advice: Write what you know. It’s well meaning. It’s even true, but not in the way you think. If each of us had to experience the things we write about, we couldn’t write about a character being shot unless we had been shot. We couldn’t write a character with a terminal illness unless we’d had a terminal illness. I don’t know about anyone else, but I have no desire to go that far. Writers research every day, what it’s like to be shot, what living in different places entails, the details of technical and medical and historical advances and events. What we don’t have to research is the universal human experience of emotions.
Write what you know? How about loss? I might not have lost a parent, but I’ve lost a child. The emotion is the same, if in a different context. Same with anger. Happiness. Love. Desire. Need. Writers delve not just into their minds for knowledge, but into their hearts and souls. We pour what we find out onto the page, baring ourselves to our readers. We haven’t necessarily shared an experience we’ve had, but we have shared an emotional experience. It hurts and it’s scary and it takes a kind of courage many people don’t have, but we do it because we have to. Because who we are demands it. Because that’s what it takes to be a writer.
Write what you know.
Good advice. :)
~ Ella