Update
Okay, so anyone who's read my bio knows I'm allergic to social media, right? Right. But I wonder if I also mentioned that I have hermit-like tendencies? No? Well, consider yourself enlightened. Because I do. Sometimes out of choice, but most of the time just because I'm so durn busy.
And if I haven't mentioned it, my application to become a time lord was turned down by the powers that be who rule this universe. That totally sucked. I mean who wouldn't have loved to have had an extra 15 minutes in the morning to just indulge yourself and not have to do... well, anything. (See me with my hand raised high the air, because I'd so love to have the powers of a time lord.)
So yeah, no big surprise... life has been chaotic lately. Not bad chaotic (I keep telling myself) just busy with a lot of little things. And big things. lol, lots and lots of big things. ;-)
For the latest, here's my list of what's cooking right now...
1. Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes. I'm signed up to participate in this wonderful program. This is a cause near and dear to my heart ever since I lost a cousin to juvenile diabetes. If you've never heard of it, I urge you to click the link and find out how one woman set out on a crusade to help fund a cure for diabetes and help her son. The auction runs May 1-May 31, 2013.
2. BTR--Blog Talk Radio. I was invited to join a team over at Marketing for Romance Writers and become a Blog Talk Radio host. I made through the training and now we're in the process of setting up schedules. Okay, that sounds great but what does it mean for my readers and writer friends? Great question and I'm glad you asked! I'll be interviewing writers about their latest releases and getting to know them in a short, 30 minute program that I'm calling... Author's Voice: Spotlight on (insert author's name). I'll be back on the blog (and other blogs) over the next few months to promote the program, but for right now we're in the scheduling phase... and for the record, I'm excited to do this program as I love the idea of being able to listen to a podcast and hear the voice of your favorite author so the next time you pick up one of their books... you have a voice you can associate the words to.
3. School. Yep, I'm still enrolled. My grad school app has been submitted and am just waiting on one more letter of recommendation to make it in so they can finish up reviewing my app. In the meantime, I'm still chugging away on the lessons and prepping for two more exams.
4. Website. It's on my to-do list to revamp the website for some new elements and pages. I don't have a specific roll out date for the new site, but I'm targeting May. But considering everything I have going on this year, I'll be ecstatic if I get it done before December. ;-)
5. Writing... oh yeah, this is what I've been itching to get to. The reason I haven't been online much has everything to do with spending my free time working on the next manuscript. It's coming along nicely. I'd give you a word count on what I'm up to, but by the time you read this post that'll be way outdated. ;-)
I mentioned in a previous blog that (at least I think I did, la my days are running together) the next set of books I'm working on have some paramilitary elements to them. I'm really excited about this new series. It's one I've been toying with over the past few years and... it's just about ready to roll out. There's also a lot of cross over with the books I've already got out. Which is just cool on so many fronts--IMHO, that is.
The new series is a transition for me on several different levels. On one front... the voice--my voice--has shifted. Oye, discussing the trials and tribulations of executing a voice shift is a blog post all unto itself. Talk about being freaked out and having moments of pure panic. I had them and in spades.
Then there's the heat level. These books are hot. (ohmiword, hot, hot, hot.) Hotter than anything I've published to date. That alone has been freaky to deal with. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with have a hotter heat level--it's just that I had to adjust to writing the new heat level. Bottomline... it's been unnerving as hell writing the new hotter scenes and I needed a lot of hand holding from my critique partners. A lot of hand holding. Not because I'm afraid, but that I want to get it right. The first time. (And yeah, that's sort of a personal creed of mine. For reasons thatprobably definitely deserve their own blog post. lol.)
Now for what you've been waiting for... a (teeny, tiny) snippet of the new voice from the opening to the new manuscript, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. (and yes, oh lordy yes, it's a rough, rough, rough draft)
And if I haven't mentioned it, my application to become a time lord was turned down by the powers that be who rule this universe. That totally sucked. I mean who wouldn't have loved to have had an extra 15 minutes in the morning to just indulge yourself and not have to do... well, anything. (See me with my hand raised high the air, because I'd so love to have the powers of a time lord.)
So yeah, no big surprise... life has been chaotic lately. Not bad chaotic (I keep telling myself) just busy with a lot of little things. And big things. lol, lots and lots of big things. ;-)
For the latest, here's my list of what's cooking right now...
1. Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes. I'm signed up to participate in this wonderful program. This is a cause near and dear to my heart ever since I lost a cousin to juvenile diabetes. If you've never heard of it, I urge you to click the link and find out how one woman set out on a crusade to help fund a cure for diabetes and help her son. The auction runs May 1-May 31, 2013.
2. BTR--Blog Talk Radio. I was invited to join a team over at Marketing for Romance Writers and become a Blog Talk Radio host. I made through the training and now we're in the process of setting up schedules. Okay, that sounds great but what does it mean for my readers and writer friends? Great question and I'm glad you asked! I'll be interviewing writers about their latest releases and getting to know them in a short, 30 minute program that I'm calling... Author's Voice: Spotlight on (insert author's name). I'll be back on the blog (and other blogs) over the next few months to promote the program, but for right now we're in the scheduling phase... and for the record, I'm excited to do this program as I love the idea of being able to listen to a podcast and hear the voice of your favorite author so the next time you pick up one of their books... you have a voice you can associate the words to.
3. School. Yep, I'm still enrolled. My grad school app has been submitted and am just waiting on one more letter of recommendation to make it in so they can finish up reviewing my app. In the meantime, I'm still chugging away on the lessons and prepping for two more exams.
4. Website. It's on my to-do list to revamp the website for some new elements and pages. I don't have a specific roll out date for the new site, but I'm targeting May. But considering everything I have going on this year, I'll be ecstatic if I get it done before December. ;-)
5. Writing... oh yeah, this is what I've been itching to get to. The reason I haven't been online much has everything to do with spending my free time working on the next manuscript. It's coming along nicely. I'd give you a word count on what I'm up to, but by the time you read this post that'll be way outdated. ;-)
I mentioned in a previous blog that (at least I think I did, la my days are running together) the next set of books I'm working on have some paramilitary elements to them. I'm really excited about this new series. It's one I've been toying with over the past few years and... it's just about ready to roll out. There's also a lot of cross over with the books I've already got out. Which is just cool on so many fronts--IMHO, that is.
The new series is a transition for me on several different levels. On one front... the voice--my voice--has shifted. Oye, discussing the trials and tribulations of executing a voice shift is a blog post all unto itself. Talk about being freaked out and having moments of pure panic. I had them and in spades.
Then there's the heat level. These books are hot. (ohmiword, hot, hot, hot.) Hotter than anything I've published to date. That alone has been freaky to deal with. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with have a hotter heat level--it's just that I had to adjust to writing the new heat level. Bottomline... it's been unnerving as hell writing the new hotter scenes and I needed a lot of hand holding from my critique partners. A lot of hand holding. Not because I'm afraid, but that I want to get it right. The first time. (And yeah, that's sort of a personal creed of mine. For reasons that
Now for what you've been waiting for... a (teeny, tiny) snippet of the new voice from the opening to the new manuscript, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. (and yes, oh lordy yes, it's a rough, rough, rough draft)
* * *
Washington, DC—Sunday,
14:45(2:45 PM)
Mission after mission, the routine was the same.
Andrew Jackson "Jax" Hopewell entered his Georgetown apartment,
checked the flat for evidence of visitors, and then, after finding none, he’d reset
the alarm and reach for the secure cell phone hidden in a cubby hole above his
bed. For five years, he’d waited for a message to show up on that damn cell
phone. For five fucking years, there’d been nothing. Not a word, not a peep,
and certainly no mention of a goddamn thing that would have informed him that
the woman he’d nearly given up his career to be with had fucking had his child.
Jax pushed back the red hot anger churning in his gut and willed
himself to calm down. A small part buried deep inside him could almost understand why Meredith hadn’t told
him she’d been pregnant. Their last encounter had left more scars than either
one of them had wanted to deal with. What he couldn’t fathom was why her brother, the closest thing he had to a best
friend in this godforsaken world, hadn’t told him?
He cranked up the volume on the phone and then replayed the
voicemail message.
Jax, it’s Ian. You
and Meredith… fuck me, there’s no easy way to say this. Damn, I wish you’d picked
up. Fuck. Ok, look, you have a son. His name is Drew. I get this is a shock and
you’re pissed as hell, but Drew’s been kidnapped, Meredith’s a basket case, and
I’ve tracked the bastards to Paris. My spidey senses are tingling and not in a
good way. It’s going down today—Sunday the fourth at sunset. Shit. I’ve got to
go. Call me when you get this and I’ll explain everything. And Jax… for what
it’s worth, I’m sorry.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed that brief glimpse into Jax's hell. I'll be back soon with more info on the release date for NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.
Until next time... take care and happy reading!
~Elijana
