Plot, Plot, Plot Your Book...

Yesterday was a day dedicated, mostly, to plotting the second Ani'mari Saga novel... which I am pleased to say is coming along nicely. Typically, I don't outline my novels. In fact, I attempted to with Ephemeral, and I failed miserably. I followed the basic plot, and betrayed the rest of the outline and just went with what felt right. Letting the characters lead the story progression has always been the way I have written, and I am comfortable with it. However, my husband and I sat down for a few hours here and there and discussed what should occur in the second book, and it gave me a lot of ideas on where to go with the story based on ideas I had already established after finishing Ephemeral. I think there are currently nine chapters with a basic outline for me to follow, and I can almost guarantee I'm going to wind up veering off the path here and there along the way. There are a lot of things that need to happen in the sequel, and I think it will be a lot of fun to write... which I intend to start focusing on this upcoming week, after the holiday.

Speaking of holidays, I replaced last year's Christmas tree today. My family and I picked out a nice six-foot  artificial tree last November, decked it out with multi-colored shatterproof ornaments, and covered it in every suggested cat deterrent available. Alas, none of that worked, and we ended up with broken limbs where the cats decided they should sleep, and the once beautiful tree became an unpleasant mess. Instead of attempting to put that one up again this year, I decided I wanted a new one. Fortunately, there is room right by a wide window in the office that is fitting for a Christmas tree and the room has a door; therefore, no kitties to destroy the festive decor! My husband and I will be putting that up this weekend. I'm currently trying to decide what color ornaments I want on the tree. It is pre-lit with LED multi-colored lights, but part of me is leaning toward silver and blue ornaments, while another part worries that those will clash with the rainbow lights... I initially considered a white tree with light purple decorations, but decided on a much nicer looking green tree. Browsing Google images for ideas isn't helping, either.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday this Thursday, and if you decide to brave the Black Friday sales, be safe!

Ephemeral is LIVE!

*UPDATE* The book is also now live on Nook!

I am thrilled to say that Ephermeral is officially live on Amazon! It's two days later than when I anticipated, but I am okay with that. It's better than a week later!

This past weekend was really hectic, filled with practically non-stop focus on getting this book released in time for Sunday... But then life happened to interfere, and it delayed the process. However, that didn't stop me! I was up until 3am most nights working on assisting my editor, listening to his input, and struggling with the fact that I needed to change the title font for better readability [as a thumbnail]. Regardless of the change, I am happy and cannot wait to hear what everyone thinks!

When it is released on Nook and Apple, I will let everyone know via Facebook and Twitter, as well as update the links below.

'For Victoria Aldrich, death is everywhere. Cursed with powerful visions, she foresees the death of everyone she touches. Until she meets Spencer Manning.

When Victoria touches this strange new boy, she sees nothing but blinding light. But sometimes the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows. As Victoria tries to understand why Spencer's death is hidden from her, she also begins to glimpse a shadowy figure lurking around town--a boy that no one else seems to see.

The deeper Victoria pries into Hazel Grove's new inhabitants, the more she discovers their connection to her curse, and how she must use it to stop a fate worse than death.' 

Amazon US - Buy here!
Amazon UK - Buy here!
[Also available on all other Amazon sites]
Nook - Buy here!

I will update this with links to the other book retailers once it's available!

New Series Title

My editor is working hard on getting Ephemeral out this weekend, so keep your eyes open for posts about that. I have my fingers mentally crossed that it will be available Saturday... Sunday at the latest. However, I'm not making any promises, because it's not entirely in my hands right now.

While I am on the topic of Ephemeral, I also wanted to mention that my editor brought up something that I wanted to share. The series title needs a change, a more fitting name--and I agreed wholeheartedly. 'Hazel Grove' was essentially a spot holder from the beginning, as I was at somewhat of a loss for what to call the series, but now I have a fitting title.

That being said... I have some work to do. I need to edit the cover for Ephemeral to show the new series title! Fortunately, that's easy... In fact, it's already done ;]

In other news... The trip to California was amazing. I met some friends whom I have only known through the internet, one of which I've known for seven years online. It wasn't weird to me at all; I felt like I was hanging out with people I'd been around my whole life. I felt entirely spoiled the whole time, after being taken out to eat almost every day, and getting presents from Disneyland.

The best part about Disneyland was the Haunted Mansion ride, as it was decked out in The Nightmare before Christmas goodies--and I adore that movie. Speaking of which, I 'met' Jack & Sally! Normally, I wouldn't be that thrilled about something like that. I'm aware that they are just people in costumes, but they were more than just that. They were both in character, and it made the moment so much better. I wish I had been in a state where I could have followed along with their story, but even though I said some pretty plain things in response, it was still a neat experience. Another ride I enjoyed was The Matterhorn--especially the yetis. There was only one ride that I refused to board, and that was Space Mountain, as I am terrified I will have a panic attack going on a roller coaster that does loops and things.

The store was obviously overpriced, but I brought back a Sorcerer Mickey Mouse for my three-year-old, my husband got me a Mickey Mouse dressed as Jack Skellington, and my friend Zacci got me an adorable 'chibi' Eeyore.

It was a much needed--and greatly appreciated--vacation. I'm ready to go on another fun-filled vacation!

Layout, Disneyland, Ephemeral

If anyone has visited my blog within the last week, you may have noticed that the layout was a bit of a mess. For the longest time, I disliked the layout that was in use - it was too bright, too bland, and just not very fitting. On Tuesday night, I sat down and went through countless different templates, trying to find one that I liked...I found a few; however, none of them worked. I couldn't figure out what was causing the issue, but any time I attempted to apply a new template, I received an error. I requested assistance from Blogger, as well as fellow Blogger users via the support forums...all to no avail. Then, on Thursday night, after a long night of trick-or-treating with my three-year-old daughter, I sat down and toyed around with templates again. Hours were spent trying to figure it all out, and again, I failed to figure out just what was causing the error. It didn't matter what format the template was in; it simply was not working! So, in a roundabout way, I gave up. Instead of applying a custom template, I decided just to settle temporarily for one of the provided ones...after setting it up to look decent, I groaned and said 'This just isn't right. I don't like it.' and I went back and tried one last time to upload the template I had found. 

AND IT WORKED! By some miracle, it worked! I was so relieved. 

I spent the next couple of hours configuring all the links and images, before rushing off to bed at around two in the morning. Now, I have finally set it up to be just how I want it, and I am pleased with the way everything looks. 

On to other good news! 

Ephemeral is still in the editing process, but it is coming along nicely and should be out soon. My editor plans to dedicate his entire day tomorrow [outside of other importances] in hopes of having it completed by that evening. I have my fingers crossed that the book will be released this week, but if it isn't...I do have a good reason for why not... 

I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND! 

For those who are unaware [which is nearly everyone who reads this, outside of my close friends and relatives], I absolutely adore Disney. I have been dreaming of seeing Cinderella's Castle since I was a child, despite her not being among my top favorite princesses...that's irrelevant, right? I hope that I am not disappointed, as when I think of Disneyland, I think of magic and wonder and all things grand. I was not at all expecting to be visiting the theme park this year, or any time soon, but my husband and I will be in California already, and he decided to surprise me with the news that we would be going :D Needless to say, I was ecstatic. 

I hope that it doesn't delay the release of Ephemeral, but if by some chance it does, then it will be out the following week. I am incredibly excited to have this book released, as I feel that it will appeal to many people...readers who already enjoy my Nevermore series, and hopefully many new ones!