How NaNoWriMo Lit a Fire Under My Butt

This is my first year participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and let me tell you, it's been an experience so far. I started a little late, on November 3rd, and have missed four or five days of writing due to busyness and/or migraines. I'm not racking up the word count by 3-4k a day like some others, but I'm WRITING AGAIN. And that's the most important thing.

After approximately 17 total writing days, I have written 28,000 words. I have never written so much so fast in my life. NaNo has taught me to get out of my own head and let the characters' voices take over. No editing, no back-tracking, no overthinking. It's been amazing, not to mention a learning experience for me. I know now, more than ever, that writing is what I'm meant to do. I love every minute of my job and I'm so grateful I get to devote my days to something that fulfills me and makes me so happy.

As for the novel itself, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The more books I write, the easier the words flow. The book is rough right now, and I may not love everything I've written, but the bones are there. This one is different from anything I've ever done and includes a particular element that I've never seen before in contemporary (or any) YA. This is the part I think I'm having the most fun creating. I also love my protagonist, who is outgoing, extroverted, unique, and a little nutty. It's fun writing someone who is SO unlike me (except for the nutty part).

Only a week to go before NaNo ends. I probably won't reach the 50k goal, but that's okay. The way I'm going, it's possible I might finish this before Christmas. For someone who usually takes about 6-10 months to write a first draft, completing one in two months would be quite the accomplishment.

Thanks for the kick-start, NaNo. I think I may see you again next year.

OUT OF NOWHERE is now available in paperback!

  Buy the paperback at Amazon.com

                                       

Out of Nowhere is now somewhere!

Actually, several somewheres. You can now buy a digital copy of Out of Nowhere at:


AMAZON

KOBO

BARNES AND NOBLE

SMASHWORDS








I'll let you know when the paperback becomes available.

This book has been so long in the making. I can't believe this day has finally arrived. A huge THANK YOU to everyone for your support!

Release Date and Cover Reveal

Here it is, the cover for OUT OF NOWHERE!

Release date for the ebook version (Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords) is August 13th. Paperback version will (hopefully) be available shortly after.

You can now add Out of Nowhere to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

OUT OF NOWHERE to be released soon!

As some of you may know, my YA contemporary novel, Out of Nowhere, was a top 3 finalist in last year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, YA category. Read the reviews HERE.

Well...I am beyond thrilled to announce that you'll be able to buy and read Out of Nowhere before end of summer! 

Here's the pitch:

At eleven years old, Riley Tate witnessed the sudden death of her father. Now, at sixteen, she still can’t bring herself to step on “the spot”—the section of kitchen floor on which her father landed after collapsing from a brain aneurysm. For someone like Riley, a borderline hypochondriac with anxiety issues, moving on is never easy.

Since losing her dad, Riley has become obsessed with the human body, how it works, and what can go wrong with it. Reading about diseases distracts her from the things she’s not ready to deal with, like the fact that her mother started a whole new family with a man who has more muscles than brains and tries to act like her new dad. And that her doctor thinks she’s a mental case. And that her ex-boyfriend dumped her because she wouldn't have sex with him. But she refuses to let anything—especially not a guy—interfere with her dream of becoming a surgeon.

When she meets Cole Boyer in an ER waiting room, Riley realizes immediately that he’s far from the safe, predictable boy she usually goes for. A fearless daredevil with mysterious scars and a thirst for all things dangerous, Cole is like an accident waiting to happen. Still, despite their differences, they forge an unlikely friendship that eventually blossoms into something more. Dating someone who’s so casual about death has its challenges, but as Riley soon learns, not everyone can be—or needs to be—saved.



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