Eliza David's Blog, page 26
February 1, 2015
Cougarette Sequel Online Kickoff - Hour One
Good morning, Readers! Thanks so much for joining me this AM! With this and the other announcements today, I encourage you to leave comments and feedback below.
Before we get started, I just wanted to thank you all for the support you’ve given The Cougarette this past month. All the FB posts, the Tweets and – of course – the Amazon purchases. My heart is full and I am so happy that you enjoy the antics of Ms. CeeCee Banks as much as I enjoy writing about them. (Although I’m sure a portion of you are strictly here for Jay, which warms my heart just as much!)
So – this first announcement is a twofer: I have a pub date and a synopsis to share. WOOT!
Cougarette in the Country will be officially released on Friday, March 20th. It will be available for pre-order soon so that it’ll just magically show up on your pretty device bright and early on the 20th - just in time for a lazy reading weekend. Stay tuned to the FB page and follow me on Twitter (@elizadwrites) for details on the pre-order date.
Now….*drumroll*…the synopsis of #CitC. Enjoy!
*****
CeeCee Banks is going down – South, that is.
While her budding career at Platinum Noize is booming, CeeCee’s relationship with the gorgeous Jay Weston is bombing. When Jay asks her to relocate to New York with him, CeeCee uses her time in Atlanta managing Billy BadAss’s latest event to get a fresh perspective before she makes a decision. However, with trying to tame the re-emergence of Billy’s reckless behavior, being offered a top-brass promotion from Platinum Noize’s Atlanta office and reuniting with her first love in the nearby country town of Pigcreek, CeeCee and her future with Jay become shaky.
With glimpses of a teenage CeeCee, we’ll find out if grownup CeeCee decides to come back to the country for an old love and a new opportunity or move to NYC for a future with Jay.
*****
So…yay. You likey?
Wait, what?
That’s not enough?
Oh, okay. Come back in an hour. ;)
Before we get started, I just wanted to thank you all for the support you’ve given The Cougarette this past month. All the FB posts, the Tweets and – of course – the Amazon purchases. My heart is full and I am so happy that you enjoy the antics of Ms. CeeCee Banks as much as I enjoy writing about them. (Although I’m sure a portion of you are strictly here for Jay, which warms my heart just as much!)
So – this first announcement is a twofer: I have a pub date and a synopsis to share. WOOT!
Cougarette in the Country will be officially released on Friday, March 20th. It will be available for pre-order soon so that it’ll just magically show up on your pretty device bright and early on the 20th - just in time for a lazy reading weekend. Stay tuned to the FB page and follow me on Twitter (@elizadwrites) for details on the pre-order date.
Now….*drumroll*…the synopsis of #CitC. Enjoy!
*****
CeeCee Banks is going down – South, that is.
While her budding career at Platinum Noize is booming, CeeCee’s relationship with the gorgeous Jay Weston is bombing. When Jay asks her to relocate to New York with him, CeeCee uses her time in Atlanta managing Billy BadAss’s latest event to get a fresh perspective before she makes a decision. However, with trying to tame the re-emergence of Billy’s reckless behavior, being offered a top-brass promotion from Platinum Noize’s Atlanta office and reuniting with her first love in the nearby country town of Pigcreek, CeeCee and her future with Jay become shaky.
With glimpses of a teenage CeeCee, we’ll find out if grownup CeeCee decides to come back to the country for an old love and a new opportunity or move to NYC for a future with Jay.
*****
So…yay. You likey?
Wait, what?
That’s not enough?
Oh, okay. Come back in an hour. ;)
January 31, 2015
The Day Before Kickoff
So - tomorrow is the big day!
It's not an 'official' book launch but I am about to share a part of my work that no one except a chosen few have seen. Cougarette in the Country is very important to me because it introduces the evolution of CeeCee Banks - a character I have grown to love very much.
When I wrote The Cougarette, I never expected people to read it. I certainly hadn't expected such a positive reaction - so positive that they would want to hear more about these figments of my imagination. In fact, I already had an entirely unrelated book idea in mind as my next project. (I'm still going to execute a first draft on that idea later this year but that subject is for another blog entry. I digress.)
So, I found myself tasked to deliver in this second book. I had to dig deep so that I could allow the characters to grow in directions I wasn't that crazy about, to be honest. While preparing the first draft, there was a period of two days where I was pissed at Jay. Like, REALLY pissed.
Then the next day, he'd be my favorite person in the world while I put CeeCee on timeout in my brain. It was so frustrating for two reasons:
1) It complicated my writing.
2) Being angry at imaginary people might be a diagnosis for borderline psychosis.
But write, I did. This book is going to have a different tone than the first. Where in the first book, CeeCee and Jay are new and fresh, Cougarette in the Country takes the reader a year into the future and shows us a relationship of familiarity. There is some crust to the bread at this stage. Some of it was hard to write. I won't lie - I cried a few times. I cursed several times. But overall, it incited emotion from me and I am hoping it does that for you, my precious readers.
I hope to read your feedback during the event tomorrow (link to the invite is below). I'm thrilled you are still on this ride with me. Mama loves you!
https://www.facebook.com/events/88134...
It's not an 'official' book launch but I am about to share a part of my work that no one except a chosen few have seen. Cougarette in the Country is very important to me because it introduces the evolution of CeeCee Banks - a character I have grown to love very much.
When I wrote The Cougarette, I never expected people to read it. I certainly hadn't expected such a positive reaction - so positive that they would want to hear more about these figments of my imagination. In fact, I already had an entirely unrelated book idea in mind as my next project. (I'm still going to execute a first draft on that idea later this year but that subject is for another blog entry. I digress.)
So, I found myself tasked to deliver in this second book. I had to dig deep so that I could allow the characters to grow in directions I wasn't that crazy about, to be honest. While preparing the first draft, there was a period of two days where I was pissed at Jay. Like, REALLY pissed.
Then the next day, he'd be my favorite person in the world while I put CeeCee on timeout in my brain. It was so frustrating for two reasons:
1) It complicated my writing.
2) Being angry at imaginary people might be a diagnosis for borderline psychosis.
But write, I did. This book is going to have a different tone than the first. Where in the first book, CeeCee and Jay are new and fresh, Cougarette in the Country takes the reader a year into the future and shows us a relationship of familiarity. There is some crust to the bread at this stage. Some of it was hard to write. I won't lie - I cried a few times. I cursed several times. But overall, it incited emotion from me and I am hoping it does that for you, my precious readers.
I hope to read your feedback during the event tomorrow (link to the invite is below). I'm thrilled you are still on this ride with me. Mama loves you!
https://www.facebook.com/events/88134...
January 29, 2015
Character Inspiration: Billy BadAss
I’m not shy about the fact that popular hip-hop does not really appeal to me. I’m more of a Jay-Z/Kanye West kind of girl.
(Wait…are they still ‘popular’? They are both over the age of 35 so they are still popular to me.)
So when I went into creating CeeCee’s client - a young & hip rap star - I had to seek reinforcements.
I asked my 21-year-old brother about the artists he listens to in his spare time. I went to YouTube & checked out a few videos of said artists. I discovered that things haven’t changed much in popular hip-hop since I last paid attention ten years ago: half naked girls + jewelry + a copious amount of bravado = manufactured rap star.
With Billy, I wanted to get into another layer of his character. I wanted to go ‘beyond the bling’. That was a phrase I wrote on my writing vision board as a constant reminder of how I wanted to flesh Billy out. I made him into a child star turned rap star. Adding his years with the boyband RuffStuff gave you a real look into how much of a brand Billy was, as well as the image he works very hard at maintaining to compliment that brand. One of my favorite moments in The Cougarette is the morning after breakfast scene with him, CeeCee and Brutus. His dialogue perfectly surmises what happens in the music industry. It is probably the most important scene that Billy is included in throughout the book.
In Cougarette in the Country, you’ll see more of Billy – much more. His relationship with CeeCee has evolved into almost a mother/son kinship. It’s very poignant and endearing. While CeeCee struggles with maintaining a hardened, business-only bond with him, Billy pulls her into something deeper. He is a broken young man in need of constant validation and reassurance. The limelight has altered him and Francis Thomas will find it challenging to separate himself from that Billy BadAss image.
(Wait…are they still ‘popular’? They are both over the age of 35 so they are still popular to me.)
So when I went into creating CeeCee’s client - a young & hip rap star - I had to seek reinforcements.
I asked my 21-year-old brother about the artists he listens to in his spare time. I went to YouTube & checked out a few videos of said artists. I discovered that things haven’t changed much in popular hip-hop since I last paid attention ten years ago: half naked girls + jewelry + a copious amount of bravado = manufactured rap star.
With Billy, I wanted to get into another layer of his character. I wanted to go ‘beyond the bling’. That was a phrase I wrote on my writing vision board as a constant reminder of how I wanted to flesh Billy out. I made him into a child star turned rap star. Adding his years with the boyband RuffStuff gave you a real look into how much of a brand Billy was, as well as the image he works very hard at maintaining to compliment that brand. One of my favorite moments in The Cougarette is the morning after breakfast scene with him, CeeCee and Brutus. His dialogue perfectly surmises what happens in the music industry. It is probably the most important scene that Billy is included in throughout the book.
In Cougarette in the Country, you’ll see more of Billy – much more. His relationship with CeeCee has evolved into almost a mother/son kinship. It’s very poignant and endearing. While CeeCee struggles with maintaining a hardened, business-only bond with him, Billy pulls her into something deeper. He is a broken young man in need of constant validation and reassurance. The limelight has altered him and Francis Thomas will find it challenging to separate himself from that Billy BadAss image.
January 28, 2015
Cougarette in the Country - Sneak Preview Kickoff on February 1st!
Readers, be sure to mark February 1st (this Sunday!) on your calendars!
HUGE announcements coming!
The sequel to The Cougarette- Cougarette in the Country - is developing day by day. The characters have grown, esp. CeeCee, Jay and Billy.
#CitC will introduce you to CeeCee's extended family, giving you another layer of who she is.
So I hope you'll join me here, on the Facebook page and on Twitter (@elizadwrites) on Sunday and enjoy some sneak peeks of #CitC. Can't wait!
Feel free to invite your bookworm buddies!
HUGE announcements coming!
The sequel to The Cougarette- Cougarette in the Country - is developing day by day. The characters have grown, esp. CeeCee, Jay and Billy.
#CitC will introduce you to CeeCee's extended family, giving you another layer of who she is.
So I hope you'll join me here, on the Facebook page and on Twitter (@elizadwrites) on Sunday and enjoy some sneak peeks of #CitC. Can't wait!
Feel free to invite your bookworm buddies!
January 25, 2015
First Draft Foolishness: Part Deux
So...the good news is that the first draft of Cougarette in the Country is done. I took a long nap to celebrate it this afternoon.
The not-so-good news is that it is short.
Way short.
38K words. 94 pages. Jeez.
In my very novice opinion, it's better to be too short than too long, I suppose. When the rewrite happens in a month, I won't need to cut anything (here's hoping!) and I've already marked places that I can create dialogue and add to the tension level. I just can't help but to compare it to the first book. The Cougarette was nearly 55K, a short book by most standards but just fine for a first-time fiction release. I find myself trying to catch up with that number but where the hell am I going to find another 17K?
The story is told and it's as wrapped up as I will allow it to be for a series (cliffhangers will keep people reading about CeeCee and Company). The best thing I or any writer can do is to keep writing and hope that your finished draft is something your reading demo will want to purchase for $2.99 or less. I know that the best thing for me to do is to walk away from it and get unfamiliar. I need to come back to it with fresh eyes after a month so I can have a better impression of it.
I also need to stop getting caught up in a number...but 38K is too damn low.
The not-so-good news is that it is short.
Way short.
38K words. 94 pages. Jeez.
In my very novice opinion, it's better to be too short than too long, I suppose. When the rewrite happens in a month, I won't need to cut anything (here's hoping!) and I've already marked places that I can create dialogue and add to the tension level. I just can't help but to compare it to the first book. The Cougarette was nearly 55K, a short book by most standards but just fine for a first-time fiction release. I find myself trying to catch up with that number but where the hell am I going to find another 17K?
The story is told and it's as wrapped up as I will allow it to be for a series (cliffhangers will keep people reading about CeeCee and Company). The best thing I or any writer can do is to keep writing and hope that your finished draft is something your reading demo will want to purchase for $2.99 or less. I know that the best thing for me to do is to walk away from it and get unfamiliar. I need to come back to it with fresh eyes after a month so I can have a better impression of it.
I also need to stop getting caught up in a number...but 38K is too damn low.
January 21, 2015
Character Inspiration: Elaine 'Laney' Towns
Who doesn't want a BFF like Laney? She's loving, tough and a full-on supporter. The beauty of Laney is that she is not judgmental. In fact, my inspiration for Laney came from having so many judgmental friends in my own life.
I understood that in creating CeeCee that the last thing she needed in a BFF was someone that would bring their pointed finger to her. CeeCee is fragile but tough enough to handle the truth - which Laney gives by the boatload.
My favorite quote of Laney's is "No offense, but you need to stop approaching your career the way you approached your marriage.” She wants CeeCee to succeed but also realizes that the only way CeeCee will be motivated to move the mountains in her life is to hear the cold hard truth about herself.
Laney's ultimate role in The Cougarette is to be the voice of the reader. She's more than likely echoing the reader's inner voice: rooting for CeeCee but also calling her on the carpet when she fucks up.
If you have someone like Laney in your life, hold on to them forever.
I understood that in creating CeeCee that the last thing she needed in a BFF was someone that would bring their pointed finger to her. CeeCee is fragile but tough enough to handle the truth - which Laney gives by the boatload.
My favorite quote of Laney's is "No offense, but you need to stop approaching your career the way you approached your marriage.” She wants CeeCee to succeed but also realizes that the only way CeeCee will be motivated to move the mountains in her life is to hear the cold hard truth about herself.
Laney's ultimate role in The Cougarette is to be the voice of the reader. She's more than likely echoing the reader's inner voice: rooting for CeeCee but also calling her on the carpet when she fucks up.
If you have someone like Laney in your life, hold on to them forever.
January 20, 2015
Character Inspiration: Jay Weston
When a straight red-blooded female author sets out to create a male protagonist in romance fiction, the first thing that typically comes to the surface is how that character looks. At least, it did for me. I’m shallow, though.
Like CeeCee, I enjoy a bit of pop culture so my initial inspiration for Jay was the actor Lance Gross. If you don’t know who he is, I invite you to search for him on Google Images and drool as needed. He’s pretty hot and that’s putting it mildly. Once I established the physical manifestation of Jay, I had to dig deeper – way deeper. As you’ll read (or have read, I hope!) in The Cougarette, Jay was adopted by an older couple. I thought that element of his life added to his maturity level. Jay is not your average 25-year-old. He’s ambitious and quite established in his career. For goodness sake, he’s an artist that actually makes a substantial living without waiting tables and lives in a rent-controlled apartment in The Loop. If that’s not fiction, I don’t know what is.
Another aspect that added depth to Jay’s character was his broken relationship with his biological father. That dynamic brings forth a quality of Jay that I quite like: his vulnerability. Good looking vulnerable men are pretty sexy. His resistance to sharing that aspect of his life with CeeCee in the beginning of their relationship also allows an unspoken tension to form between them which, of course, makes for good fiction.
As I write Cougarette in the Country, I continue to flesh Jay out a bit more. We get to see what he’s like in a one-on-one relationship with CeeCee without interference. Well, at least for the first chapter anyway. ;)
Like CeeCee, I enjoy a bit of pop culture so my initial inspiration for Jay was the actor Lance Gross. If you don’t know who he is, I invite you to search for him on Google Images and drool as needed. He’s pretty hot and that’s putting it mildly. Once I established the physical manifestation of Jay, I had to dig deeper – way deeper. As you’ll read (or have read, I hope!) in The Cougarette, Jay was adopted by an older couple. I thought that element of his life added to his maturity level. Jay is not your average 25-year-old. He’s ambitious and quite established in his career. For goodness sake, he’s an artist that actually makes a substantial living without waiting tables and lives in a rent-controlled apartment in The Loop. If that’s not fiction, I don’t know what is.
Another aspect that added depth to Jay’s character was his broken relationship with his biological father. That dynamic brings forth a quality of Jay that I quite like: his vulnerability. Good looking vulnerable men are pretty sexy. His resistance to sharing that aspect of his life with CeeCee in the beginning of their relationship also allows an unspoken tension to form between them which, of course, makes for good fiction.
As I write Cougarette in the Country, I continue to flesh Jay out a bit more. We get to see what he’s like in a one-on-one relationship with CeeCee without interference. Well, at least for the first chapter anyway. ;)
January 19, 2015
Character Inspiration: Cecelia 'CeeCee' Banks
(In order to work myself through this first draft of CitC, I am going to use this blog to break down each of my characters, starting with CeeCee.)
It is customary for fiction writers to find some of themselves in their MC. So I would be remiss to say that I didn't find inspiration within myself when I created CeeCee. Like me, she's a mother, intelligent, aloof, witty, charming, kind and has a nice ass. :)
The similarities seem to end there but I can also appreciate the struggles she had during her divorce. During my book research, I interviewed several happily (and unhappily) divorced women. There is such an untapped source of wisdom from divorced women. I learned not only how to mold CeeCee's character, but many lessons about how to sustain my own marriage. It was eye-opening, to say the least. If you know a divorced woman, have a conversation with her about relationships. I guarantee that you'll walk away with at least a nugget of advice.
I watched classic movies about divorce, such as An Unmarried Woman, It's Complicated, and Under The Tuscan Sun. The last one, starring Diane Lane, was especially helpful in rounding out CeeCee. The movie character had to find herself after her divorce and that is ultimately what The Cougarette is all about.
CeeCee is a character that resonates with many women - divorced, single or otherwise.
It is customary for fiction writers to find some of themselves in their MC. So I would be remiss to say that I didn't find inspiration within myself when I created CeeCee. Like me, she's a mother, intelligent, aloof, witty, charming, kind and has a nice ass. :)
The similarities seem to end there but I can also appreciate the struggles she had during her divorce. During my book research, I interviewed several happily (and unhappily) divorced women. There is such an untapped source of wisdom from divorced women. I learned not only how to mold CeeCee's character, but many lessons about how to sustain my own marriage. It was eye-opening, to say the least. If you know a divorced woman, have a conversation with her about relationships. I guarantee that you'll walk away with at least a nugget of advice.
I watched classic movies about divorce, such as An Unmarried Woman, It's Complicated, and Under The Tuscan Sun. The last one, starring Diane Lane, was especially helpful in rounding out CeeCee. The movie character had to find herself after her divorce and that is ultimately what The Cougarette is all about.
CeeCee is a character that resonates with many women - divorced, single or otherwise.
January 17, 2015
First Draft Foolishness
So, I'm already on Chap. 9 of the first draft of Cougarette in the Country (Book 2) and I have to say that this time around, I'm feeling the pressure. I'm trying to pace myself but I have the entire story in my head. It's hard to not spend hours writing just to get to out of my head.
At times, I think I'm moving too fast with the second book but writers and readers understand: when characters stick with you, it's hard to deny them.
What I'm really enjoying most about this first draft is the evolution of CeeCee. I won't give too much, but CeeCee has evolved from the insecure woman she was in The Cougarette. Not sure how it ends yet, but I'll keep typing away.
At times, I think I'm moving too fast with the second book but writers and readers understand: when characters stick with you, it's hard to deny them.
What I'm really enjoying most about this first draft is the evolution of CeeCee. I won't give too much, but CeeCee has evolved from the insecure woman she was in The Cougarette. Not sure how it ends yet, but I'll keep typing away.
