Elizabeth Stevens's Blog, page 4

Where's [my] head at?

Hey all,Long time, no write. Wow, what a month - and so not necessarily in a good way... But, a little in a good way.Writing Progress Update:*snort* Well, I'm only a month behind schedule. So, you know. Not so bad. Keeping Up Appearances is finally making proper progress though, so that's a plus. And, the pre-orders are flying in, which isn't intimidating and scary in the slightest. I've been very good and not been distracted (much) - except by taking out unnecessary time to have a bit of a waffle just now.We just have to hope now that no new ideas hit me as I'm finishing it like they did with the last one. I'm pretty sure we're sticking to task here. I don't know that you can ever really say you stuck to the plan - okay, no, lots of writers can say they stuck to the plan - but, I think I'm going to be pretty pleased with the finished product. You can check out the Spotify playlist here, if you feel so inclined.A Reading Update:I am so far behind. Like in life. But, also reading. I have three ARCs due (not counting all the other things I've promised to read and want to read) and I don't even remember the last thing I read that wasn't my own ramblings. Still, finger's crossed I'll get to read a proper book soon - and I'm going to need to get out of my own head soon.Release Rambles:So, Roman was unleashed on the world in Accidentally Perfect about four weeks ago and he's going amazingly! So many people have picked up a copy that I am feeling seriously in awe. And, the reception? I'd hoped that the world was going to love him as much as me and, so far, so many people do. I'm humbled and excited and so happy.Xander, on the other hand... Well, he will definitely be available on June 1, but he's not being the easiest about it. Still, I am so close I can see the end in sight, I can practically smell it (and, it smells like pancakes). It will be a damned miracle if I get through this and remember where I left my head. But, I do have to thank my very patient beta readers - you're comments on part one were great and I am so sorry part 2 is taking so damn long. Fingers crossed, Xander keeps behaving himself and part two will be ready tomorrow!Announcements:So, my first sales announcement! Are we excited? Well, probably only US and UK residents... Those lucky people will be able to buy all my ebooks for 0.99 on Amazon between 16 and 23 May. What about everyone else, you ask? Trust me, I get it, Amazon needs to let us run sales on all marketplaces. Well, No More Maybes will be on sale across all sales channels (God willing) but won't be available on Kindle Unlimited from May 8. Head on over to the book page in a day or so to see all the new places you'll be able to buy it from May 9.Read, write, and live well,x iz

Is this thing on?

Hello, world! Roman, here. Large and in charge ;)Okay, so I might have hijacked the blog for today. But in my defense, Barlow didn't expressly tell me not to... There was some finger pointing and that adorable little frown she gives me (don't tell her I said that; I'll have to sit through all of John's movies a hundred more times each), but I wasn't actually forbidden.Anyhoo, I wanted to be the one to let you all know that we are finally live! As in, available the world over for your...pleasure *wink wink*. (Okay, no. I'm a taken man and behaving myself, but old habits die hard.)(Maddy wants me to say hi from her and let you know she's even better at cartwheels now. I tried telling her that wouldn't make sense to you because you haven't read it yet... But she's six, what are you going to do? Just smile and nod...it seems to work.)Right! Now, if you haven't already, get your hands on a copy of our story withthose little images to the side, there. If I do say so myself, I'm wonderful and Barlow's okay I guess. [Ow! Mads!] All right, fine! (nancy wanker words time) Barlow is amazing; always has been, always will be. [Happy?]If you've missed all the hype and have no idea what I'm talking about, you can visit the product page for my book-- [Okay!] Elizabeth's book by clicking on the cover image.Oh, one last thing! If you want to see what Barlow and I are up to later on in life, send Elizabeth a link to your review to get access to a special, unavailable-anywhere-else catch-up.But seriously, give us a read! I'm gorgeous ;)No judgements. No apologies.Roman :P

Roman in T-minus 7 days

Whew, is it really only one week to go until Accidentally Perfect is released? More like, only one more week until Roman is unleashed on the world, although I'm sure he's looking forward to it. I've got to admit, I don't really believe it. This one's been a true whirlwind and I have to thank my beta readers and ARC reviewers for receiving it so well. I was so worried that it was going to be a complete mistake, but so far the response has been a good one.You can still get your special priced pre-orders in print or ebook from Amazon or BookDepository. Just click below:Accidentally PerfectEveryone’s convinced the hottest guy in school’s going to ask me out - that Mason and I would be the perfect couple, that he’s my John Cusack. Except, he hasn’t. One holidays, I find myself hanging out with the resident underachiever, and he surprises me. With Roman, I don’t have to pretend that little Piper Barlow is perfect; even if we’re both in a foul mood, just sitting in silence together is perfectly enough. Until it becomes more. But, Roman doesn’t do more. Does he...? What do you do when you accidentally find perfection with the wrong guy? You fight for it.Accidentally Perfect is a story about finding support in the least likely of places, never giving up, and learning that being the real you is always perfect. Not suitable for younger readers due to mature content.I hope those of you who get yours hands on a copy enjoy it. I am really looking forward to sharing this one with the world.Read, write, and live well,x iz

First Official proper update for the new site :D

Well, here we are, the first official proper update for the new site! Are you excited? I'm excited :D Can you tell?Writing Progress Update:Writing is going well. I'm back in the flow and stopped worrying that everything's going to be a terrible load of bollocks and just letting the creative juices flow. Unfortunately, with the creative juices come plot bunnies, but we'll deal with that as they come.The writer's arm is still manageable, but I have to make sure I don't overwork it - brushing my teeth is getting a little sore so I'm treading a very fine line at the moment between creative output and self-maintenance.A Reading Update:I'm doing a lot of reading about Marketing for my Masters thesis. It's actually fascinating and fingers crossed I get to go on with it for a PhD next year - my supervisor seemed quite keen on it when I hedged it so hopefully that translates to being able to do it. There is a hell of a lot more stuff other than digital marketing that I can look at and I've got some excellent ideas.In terms of not uni reading, I have scrapped the original plan because it just wasn't working. I'm now just reading whatever I pick up and doesn't make me feel guilty for not writing after a couple of chapters. I finished the ARC for 'the Maybe Boyfriend' by Christina Benjamin the other day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can find my review here. I don't know if it was the mood I was in, the fact I haven't finished anything or lived in any world other than my own lately, or what. But, I gave it a very enthusiastic five stars.Release Rambles:In good news, I've worked out how Accidentally Perfect is on such a great sale on BookDepository, and I'm going to see what I can do to keep it at that price after release day (in eight days!). It will take some experimenting, but I'm on it.Keeping Up Appearances is still on track despite health set backs and betas will be going out soon, barring any major disasters.Current Focus:Surprise, surprise it's proofing and editing. But story-wise, I'm just working on the year's later releases. Not really anything much exciting going on there.Plot Bunnies:Well, I thought for once I was free of the devils. But, no such luck. With the influx of creativity for the thing's I'm meant to be working on, so come the influx of plot bunnies. In good news, I've only been distracted for 10,000 words or so this week and am (fingers crossed) back on track with the tasks at hand.Life Being Rude:Well aside from a bout of the dreaded lurgy, it's less rude and more just life updates. But! I have exciting, grand plans for this new blog business and I think you will all enjoy it. I'll keep the lid tight for now so I don't spoil the surprise. But, keep your eyes peeled.Read, write, and live well,x iz

'The Maybe Boyfriend' - Christina Benjamin

5 stars.I received a free copy of this ARC via BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.Full disclosure, this was my first Christina Benjamin book. But, it will most definitely not be my last. I also went into this thinking it would be much more YA than it was, but I didn't mind in the slightest that the characters were a little older than I'd expected.From the first page, I loved Megan and Zander seemed almost too good to be true. Just reading their excitement too see each other gave me that warm tingly chest feeling I so well associate with well-matched main characters.Watching their chemistry and overcoming their uncertainties was a singular pleasure. Megan is a strong, adorably quirky young woman and she made a fantastic female lead; she knows what she wants and what she needs and she puts her first which is a wonderful thing to see in a romance MC. Zander was the perfect book boyfriend - the right amount of broken and passionate that you looked forward to the moment he pulled his head out of his finely toned arse and realised he could have the girl.I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I think Benjamin did a great job with the character development, the relationship development, and the plot. The crisis point and the resolution was believable and very satisfying. I loved Megan and Zander's story and think they really are perfect for each other, no maybes about it.

Why don't YA characters ever go to class?

You know how you read those 'pet peeve' lists? The ones that list all the typical tropes of YA that readers hate and yet never stop reading? I'm super guilty of this myself with all genres - "Why does x happen all the time in these books? It's so unrealistic and done to death." Then it doesn't happen and I'm annoyed and disappointed...Anyway, one of those things is usually the fact that YA characters never seem to go to class and no one seems to know why or be concerned by that fact. Well, I think I've just cracked it! As @broodingYAhero points out (and if you don't follow him on Twitter, you really should because he's hilarious) in his marvellously funny book, YA authors totally aren't around their thirties and therefore (my supposition) have complete knowledge about the current school system and subjects. And, who am I trying to convince? :DNow, Keeping Up Appearances has a lot of school scenes - I realised I'd used too many 'they live next door' tropes recently (total accident it happened so many times, actually, and I'm a little embarrassed) so Xander and Holly need to do most of their interacting at school. And, I'm trying not to do the 'and that was History' in the exposition too often. But, what do I know about 2018 Year 12 History? I can try to hope that some made-up school in my brain can be studying the same things I did something like 10 years ago, but overall it's just easier to skip the teaching in class scenes and hope no one minds.Or, I could totally find a 2018 Year 12 History syllabus and drone on for pages? Quite frankly, I could do with the word count booster :P although, that would just add more words that I need to write to get it finished.So, my explanation based on me is thus: YA characters don't go to class because the authors don't want to prove just how little they know about school these days and don't want to seem outdated (more outdate?). Also, with so many other things to write about, school seems an unnecessarily boring addition to the story.Anyway, that was today's eureka moment while I was trying to work out why Xander and Holly aren't working as well as they ought to be at the moment. And, I just thought you might all like to know.Read, write, and live well,x iz

Farewell writeriz.wordpress

Well, the time has come – and it happened quicker than I expected. It’s been a good three and a bit years. I’ve gone through productive and non-productive phases. I’ve tried to work out what I’m doing and spent far too long lining up cover images. But, all things end and change and move on.

And, now the new website is up and running and ready for action!

You can visit it at https://www.elizabethstevens.com.au.

If you don’t want to miss any updates, sign up for my newsletter here and you’ll get my new blog updates direct to your inbox along with a few other bits and pieces along the way. You can also choose to sign up to my Beta Read Crew (just tick the box at the bottom) and get notified when I have Beta stories and ARCs for distribution – there’s no commitment necessary; you can choose to download or not for each one.

I hope to see you all over on my new website soon

Welcome to the new site!

Whelp, it may not have escaped your notice that I've moved to the new site *squee* Exciting times indeed. I'm still having some fun playing with new features, so I'll update you with any exciting major changes as they happen.The set up is a little different with this one, but you've got most of the same basic components as the old one - you can look up my books, read my rambles, buy direct from me or find links to retailers. I've even got a section where you can link back to the old website and catch up on old posts if you feel so inclined.I've got my Newsletter and Beta Read Crew mailing lists all sorted as well (finally!). So if you want to get even more updates direct to your inbox, beta read books-in-progress and have ARCs offered up for your perusal, or just want to keep in touch, then you can sign up below. The Newsletter Mailing list form below has an option to join the Beta Read Crew - so there's no need to sign up twice. You can also sign up to either from any page on the website. So, if you're unsure, there's no need to rush. You can read more about the Beta Read Crew here.Accidentally Perfect comes out in less than three weeks, so if you want to pre-order you can do so on Amazon in print and ebook (how exciting!) and BookDepository has it on pre-order as well going for quite a reasonable price and *free* shipping! The ARC is about to be available for those of you who have signed up to the Beta Read Crew.The Beta for Keeping Up Appearances will be available soon. As will the one for No More Maybes Books #2.I think I'm about all out of news for now.Read, write, and live well,x iz

Oh, the places we’ll go!

Exciting things are occurring over in my corner of the universe. So this is just a quick one to announce: I have a new website in the works! A new proper, professional, author-y looking website. The final touches are being applied as you read, and it should launch in the coming week. So, watch this space!

Writing Progress Update: Progress has been steadily growing since the Great Needling of 2018 – I got 12 needles in my writer’s arm and, while it’s still not perfect, it is manageable. I really should rest it… But, I don’t want to (because that would mean no writing or gaming), nor do I have time to.

A Reading Update: So, my grand plans for 2018 are well out the window. I’m just reading snippets all over the place. Time will tell if I get anything finished that isn’t editing- or uni-related in this century, but I’m still having a grand old time.

Release Rambles: Accidentally Perfect is mere weeks away now! Excitingly, I found it for pre-order on BookDepository yesterday for a very reasonable AUD$17. I’ve got to be honest, I’m not sure where they’ve pulled that number from… I just hope it’s not a lie. If you want a bargain, head on over there now and get it while it’s cheap!

Current Focus: Editing. Finishing this year’s upcoming releases. Sleeping. It’s is seriously all a go in my brain right now – not the most calming of places to be, but there is a lot of excitement.

Plot Bunnies: Yes. Dammit. Yes. But, they’re still letting me just throw some ideas down and leaving them for later.

Life Being Rude: Did I mention sleep already? Sleep is being super rude and not being terribly friendly. I’ve even cut down my caffeine intake *GASP* in the hopes it stops the insomnia, but no such luck.

Anyway, that is all for now.

Read, write, and live well,

x iz

#foreverproofing

[image error]

Here we are again! Another day, another set of words that need writing. A reminder, if you want to sign up to my Beta Read Crew – for access to ARCs and to give me feedback on forthcoming books as I’m writing them – you can do so here. And, if you’d like to sign up to my newsletter, get in on that action here.

Writing Progress Update: So, I’ve had what I’ve dubbed ‘writer’s arm’ for the last couple of weeks; a severe case of tennis elbow and RSI wrist. Unsurprisingly, doing pretty much anything with that arm’s been painful and this has meant not a lot of writing’s been done lately. I did finish getting the proof of Accidentally Perfect ready and that is winging its way to me as we speak and we’re well on track for April publication. Otherwise, Keeping Up Appearances is going well. I’ve had a few new starts to knock out of my messy brain, but still finding them easy to put aside.

[image error]

A Reading Update: Yeah, no. I haven’t been reading anything but uni materials and my own work in the process of editing. Now that uni’s back, it’s all research, research, research. In good news, thesis stuff is going well and my marketing experimentation is proving valuable and hopefully not just a money drain.

Release Rambles: Accidentally Perfect is slated for 6 April 2018, and the pre-order is still going at the special pre-order price of $0.99 on Kindle now. Keeping Up Appearances is looking like a 1 June 2018 release is more than feasible. So, while it’s not official just yet – look out for that date coming soon. And, Gray’s Blade is still planned for 3 August 2018.

[image error]Current Focus: Work is moving steadily along on Keeping Up Appearances, editing and polishing and such. Pre-order is about to go up. And, it’s now up on Goodreads, so you can add it to your to read shelves!

Plot Bunnies: We’ve not got much in the way of Plot Bunnies atm. I’ve noted a few ideas to work on at a later date, but so far my brain seems to be cooperating on the one book at a time plan.

Life Being Rude: With my bung arm and uni back, life is being terribly rude. But, that’s the price a writer pays really. I’ve have my arm strapped up on and off for the last week and it is slowly getting better. Although, my shoulder is suffering because I’m holding myself a bit weirdly. Still, the words must be written! Uni isn’t being terribly rude yet, but I should be doing more work on it that I am.

Read, write, and live well,

x iz