Lindsay Detwiler's Blog, page 33

Letting Go: Without You

My second novel Without You releases on December 1st, 2015, by Limitless Publishing. I CANNOT wait to introduce these characters to the world. While I love them all, I must say Violet is my absolute favorite character I’ve ever written. She’s quirky, she’s funny, and she’s also suffering from issues many of us can relate to.

I’ve been thinking a lot about soundtracks for the book, songs that sum up my characters. If I had to pick one for Violet and her relationship with Liam, it would have to be Passenger “Let Her Go.” Listen below, and once you’ve read Without You, stop back and tell me if you agree :)

Without You by Lindsay Detwiler: Cover Reveal, Release Blitz, and Blog Tour Sign Ups

Hi, blogger friends! If you are interested in signing up for the cover reveal, release blitz, or blog tour for Without You, please click the link below. Without You is a new adult/contemporary romance and is my second novel. It is being released by Limitless Publishing on December 1st. You can participate in just one or all three. I really appreciate the support and help! I couldn’t do all of this without you :)

Lindsay Detwiler, Without You and Voice of Innocence

http://goo.gl/forms/QoM1q3peZw

Book Review: MJ Greenway’s Dating Maggie

Dating Maggie by M.J. Greenway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The dating world can be difficult and challenging, as Maggie knows all too well.

Maggie is a charismatic young woman looking for success in an acting career. As the novel suggests, this novel follows her trials and tribulations in the dating world. Her love life is full of interesting situations and swift entrances/exits of men. However, when she meets Cliff, something tells Maggie things are about to change, even though she can’t admit it right away.

I loved how Maggie was easy to relate to. As a twenty-something, I found it easy to connect to her quirks, her trials in love, and her desire to achieve her dreams. I found Maggie to be a very likable character. I also liked the modern connections to dating. Maggie makes videos about her dating life, which I found to be interesting. Cliff, of course, is a very charismatic, appealing man. I liked his “cowboy” edge; I think the author did a good job at not overdoing it. Cliff strikes the perfect, sexy balance between cowboy and modern stud.

My only criticism is that at times, the book moved too fast. There were some scenes I wish were a bit longer. I felt like the book moved to swiftly at points. I also felt like I wanted a little more depth in the dialogue at points. I would have actually liked for the book to be a bit longer so I could see more of the interactions between the characters at times.

Overall, though, I think this is a lovely read that twenty-somethings will see themselves in. This is a book about the modern woman and her struggles with love, work, and the trials of daily life. Dating Maggie is a quick, relaxing read that will make you smile and make you say, “Yes, I can relate to that!”

M. J. Greenway, in short, captures the true essence of living in the modern, upbeat world and finding love to quench one’s desperate desires.

***ARC received in exchange for an honest review****

@lindsaydetwiler

www.facebook.com/lindsayanndetwiler

Enter to Win!

My second novel Without You is set for release for December 1st with Limitless Publishing! There’s nothing better than a book, a blanket, a cup of coffee, and a cat or two in the winter months, right? I’m giving you the chance to win a signed copy of Without You on release day!

Sign up for my newsletter at http://www.tinyurl.com/lindsaydetwiler to be automatically entered to win. I promise:

I won’t spam you (I don’t have time for that! :) ).
You’ll get exclusive information and contest opportunities!

Win a Signed Copy of Without You, My Second Novel in the New Adult Genre

Be automatically entered to win a signed copy of my second novel, Without You, when it releases December 1st. All you need to do is sign up for my author newsletter at https://tinyletter.com/lindsaydetwiler . You will get updates on exclusive contests, book release information, and more. I promise I won’t spam you…it will only be a few emails here and there.

Be sure to check out my back blurb if you haven’t already by clicking HERE.

Without You Teaser

Without You will be officially released by Limitless Publishing on December 1st, but you will be able to pre-order your copy starting November 21st! I cannot wait for you to meet Violet, Jenna, and Camden! Be sure to like my official author page on Facebook for more information :)

The Truth About Marriage

And they all lived happily ever after.

From the time we can comprehend the words “prince” and “princess,” females are taught several important lesson:

Love is magical.
Princesses need to find their prince.
Marriage ends in a happily ever after kind of life.

It’s no wonder that we spend our lives looking for the elusive Mr. Right, craving the diamond ring on our hand, and dreaming about that gorgeous couture wedding gown.

We’re programmed to believe handsome man + illustrious gemstone + picture perfect wedding ceremony= fulfillment.

In many ways, marriage is a fairytale like event. If you pick the right Prince Charming, marriage can be the most fulfilling connection you can find. Walking through life with the man who completes you, knowing someone always has your back, and finding joy in the small moments of life—there’s nothing more magical than that.

After four years of marriage, I can say with 100% honesty I cannot imagine life without my crazy, hilarious, supportive, charismatic husband by my side.

However, in the four years we’ve been married, I’ve also realized a harsher truth about marriage: love isn’t perfect, and the princess sparkles dissipate quickly. When the wedding cake is gone and the “blushing bride” is forced to face the harsh realities of domestic living, the fairy tale can quickly transform into a tale from the Brother’s Grimm.

Marriage isn’t always about laughter and support. There are days of doom and gloom, of boredom, of stress. There are days when being married to your other half seems to mean you are only half the person you once were. Some days, it feels like sacrifice outweighs the support and frustration usurps the joy once felt.

The truth is: marriage isn’t the perfect social convention we would like to think it is.

Sometimes the prince you marry turns out to be more like an ogre on certain days.

Sometimes the princess the prince married turns out to be the wicked witch.

To expect two imperfect people to create a perfect social bond is ludicrous and, quite frankly, a fantasy. We find it perfectly normal that co-workers fight, that sisters get sick of each other, and that friends can slip through periods of distance.

Why, then, do we expect marriage to be on a hill of untouchable perfection? Why do we convince ourselves that marriage is the end game, that marriage is the complete goal of self-fulfillment?

So many novels and movies portray marriage as “the end.” We see heroines strive to find Mr. Right, to work it out, to make the relationship work, so the “Holy Grail” of love can be found—the engagement ring.

But, as cliché as it sounds, the engagement ring is just the beginning. Anyone can be in love, can sparkle, when the glow of a brand new, shiny ring is on her finger. Anyone can be head over heels when she feels like a princess in a gorgeous gown surrounded by bottles of champagne.

True love, the kind that creates fairy tales like relationships, comes after the magical wedding day. True love is the love that survives disappointments, boredom, domestic routines, and personality clashes long after the wedding guests have lost their thank you cards.

Marriage is hard. I don’t care what the fairy tales or rosy-colored romances tell you. Marriage is drudgery. It is an uphill battle. It’s trying to make two separate lives come together on the same path.

It isn’t easy to recognize this because people are too busy convincing themselves this isn’t the case. We see Facebook status updates daily about perfect marriages and romantic husbands. We see the side of marriage people want us to see.

So when we bicker with our significant other, when we feel like we want to throw our engagement ring in the toilet or give him a mild bout of food poisoning so he shuts up for a few days…well, we tell ourselves we’re crazy. We tell ourselves something is wrong with us, that we aren’t complete, normal women. We tell ourselves the fairy tale is real; we just have to make ourselves see it.

The thing is, though, I’ve realized over the years these feelings about marriage are normal. So many of us silently suffer with feelings of guilt for not being in love with marriage all of the time. We plaster on a princess smile and pretend we’re fulfilled, pretend we’ve never asked ourselves if this is all life has to offer.

Without You is about two women’s love stories. It’s a contemporary romance in the new adult genre. It’s about how beautiful and powerful love can be.

But more than that, I hope you’ll find it’s a realistic view of marriage. Unlike many romance novels, I didn’t make marriage the end game. I made it the beginning of the conflict. Just like in real life, Jenna’s marriage is far from perfect.

In this book, you’ll see women looking at marriage without the rose-colored glasses. You’ll see confessions of a fairy tale marriage put through the wringer. You’ll see regrets and doubts, fears and frustrations.

Most of all, I hope you’ll see the truth about marriage: it’s something we all struggle with if we’re doing it right.

Lindsay Detwiler, Without You

Available for pre-order on Amazon.com beginning November 21st, 2015

http://www.tinyletter.com/lindsaydetwiler

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“Marriage is hard. It’s not all candlelight dinners, sexy lingerie, and roses. It’s not stolen kisses and passionate compliments. It’s not mindless strolls in the park and unconditional thrills. Sometimes marriage is about the stress of work, the tedium of day-to-day living in the middle class, and even boredom. It’s wearing your holey T-shirts from your college days instead of the sexy satin top. It’s “a pony tail will suffice” instead of luscious curls. It’s trading in your uncomfortable but sexy thong for a practical pair of hip huggers. It’s excitement traded for comfort, fantasy traded for reality. But does that make it any less valuable? Desirable? Isn’t it okay to step out of the fantasy land of marriage and into a more realistic, more reasonable one?” ~Jenna Landsen, Without You

Happy Halloween

The Writing Teacher Who Couldn’t

Sulking in silence, the class eyes me as I stand before the room, nervously figuring out how I’m going to teach twenty-four teenagers how to write creatively. The pressure is on; the publication of my first novel is common knowledge, so everyone thinks I know what I’m doing. The problem? I have no idea how to get my penchant for creating writing into an accessible form for writers at all different levels.

That was me a few weeks ago, knees shaking and mind racing, standing in front of my creative writing class. The class should be easy to teach, right? It’s an elective, and as a new author, I should have plenty of insight.

But as you writers know, teaching the craft is not so easy.

First, it’s not a perfect craft and there’s no formula for success. Short choppy style? Works for some authors. Flowery, descriptive writing? Works for others. There are incessant combinations leading to a desired result, and hundreds of paths a writer can take to get there.

So how does one tackle the task of teaching creativity? How do you teach students a skill that is somewhat inherent?

It’s week three, and I’m finding one answer . . . you don’t.

You can’t teach a student to be a novelist or even to be a writer. I know, that seems like the words of a lazy teacher looking for an excuse to have study hall; I assure you it’s not the case. In my class, we’re writing every day. I’m teaching them, I’m having them complete assignments. But I’m not teaching them to be writers.

I’m teaching them to tap into their inherent creativity. I’m teaching them to find their strengths with words. I’m teaching them to find themselves.

Because at the end of the day, I can’t help them become Stephen King or Veronica Roth. I can’t teach them the steps to write a bestselling novel.

I can, however, give them a platform to explore their ideas about life, their perspectives of the world, and the words they possess to share that view with others. I can give them a place to imagine, to explore, to create. I can give them a place to collaborate, to push their minds to solve problems, to think about situations from different points of view.

So yes, I’m a writing teacher. But no, I don’t have all of the answers.

But isn’t that the point?

Lindsay Detwiler, Author of Voice of Innocence

How Tuesdays With Morrie Made Me a Morning Person…Sort Of

“When you’re in bed, you’re dead.” ~Morrie Schwartz, Tuesdays With Morrie

The alarm clock blares, and my brain shutters. It CANNOT possibly be morning. Glancing at the clock, I realize with sad certainty that it is, in fact, 6:00AM.

I am not a morning person–at all. I hate the sluggish feeling of getting up before sunrise. No matter how much sleep I get the night before, 6am is not a good time of day. Sixteen cups of coffee couldn’t make me feel awake, alive, or refreshed in the morning.

This is quite the problem since I’m a high school teacher. My favorite thing about summer? Sleeping in, of course.

Lately, the mornings have been getting harder and harder. We’ve been in school for a marking period now, and I can barely make myself get out of bed these days. This is further evidenced by the declining quality of my hair and makeup. First day of school=perfect curls and five-step eye shadow. These days, some version of a disheveled bun and one swipe of a single color of eye shadow is the only beauty routine I can manage.

So what keeps me going? What keeps me trudging into school every morning, headache and sleepy eyes in tow?

The quote above.

Seriously.

This is not the most impactful quote from Tuesdays with Morrie, not even close. But for some reason, this quote has stuck with me. I literally find myself internally chanting it every morning when I’m staring at myself in the mirror and just wanting to climb back under the covers.

If you’re not in the world contributing something, what’s the point? Sleep is nice. Sleep is wonderful. But sleep does not equate to a fulfilled life.

So I stomp forward into the day. The sun isn’t always shining at 6am. My eye shadow isn’t always envy-worthy, and I may forget what day it is sometimes. But 6am, I’m going to own you, like it or not.

Because I’m not dead yet. I’ve still got a lot to accomplish.

Now I’m off to bed.

6 am comes quickly.