L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 14

BLUE Excerpt: The Book Project

In this scene, Blue and her newly-acquired boyfriend, Devon, are working on a class project that requires them to select a book to preserve for posterity and write a presentation on it. Blue grabs a book from her MLM-loving mother’s bookshelf, and she and Devon brainstorm some talking points until it all takes a turn.

“Mindfulness Over Madness: Your Guide to Self-Realization Through Negation Release,” Devon reads. “This is your book?”

“It’s one of my mom’s. I had to grab something. Should be easy to talk about.”

His brow crinkles in surprise. “You don’t have a favorite book?”

“I have a few,” I say defensively. “I’ve been so busy with school and work. I haven’t read a lot lately.”

“There’s got to be at least one book you can think of,” he says.

I feel my cheeks go slightly red. “I like to read romance.” I drop my voice down so nobody hears me. “Not like, all the time–just as an escape.”

He reaches across and puts his hand over mine. “I don’t know why you’re embarrassed about that. Books are a great escape. You like to escape into love stories. That’s no less valid than escaping into a horror story or a sci-fi story, or a story about a seagull who wants to break the sound barrier before he poops out all the french fries he ate on the beach today.”

“I’m not going to talk about a romance story.”

He holds up his hands. “Just a thought. So tell me about Mindfulness over Madness. What makes it worth preserving after civilization falls?”

“It’s going to enable me to step forward confidently into my best life,” I say, with faux fervency. “And if I can empower women to walk a mile in my patterned leggings before embracing their inner boss-babe-radiant-skinned warrior, maybe we can all share a spirulina shake and change the world.”

He gives me an incredibly earnest look as he grabs his notebook and opens it. “I am intrigued by your premise, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter,” he says, placing his hand over his heart.

“This brave new world will be our downline. Write that down.” I tap his notebook with my pen, and then I notice the drawing on the open page. It’s a woman’s face—I think. But in some weird, very colorful pattern.

“That’s interesting. Is it for Graphic Arts?”

“Nope, just for fun,” he says. “It’s your face but you probably don’t recognize it with the pattern. I borrowed the idea from one of those pairs of leggings.”

“You gave me legging face?” I didn’t realize I said that so loud until Mrs. Linza’s head turns in our direction.

“Blue? Devon?” She strolls over as Devon casually flips the notebook page and starts writing notes. “How’s it coming along?” she asks.

“Good,” I lie. “Really good. I’m going to empower what’s left of our fallen civilization, and Devon is going to discuss the psychology of seagulls.”

She glances down at our books. “Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a favorite of mine,” she says to him. He gives me a smug look, riding high on her validation. Then her gaze moves over to my book.

“Looks like you’re interested in self-help,” she says. Her fingers reach out and rest lightly on my shoulder. “That’s a positive step for you, Blue.”

And just like that, my lousy mood that had started to improve goes right back to lousy again. Everybody in the class is looking at me because they were all expecting her to come down on us for goofing off. Instead, she makes it sound like I’m badly in need of my mother’s crappy empowerment book. I want to throw it at her.

“She didn’t mean anything by it,” Devon whispers after she moves away.

“Sure she did,” I grumble. “I’m the psycho sister of the guy who drives around killing people, haven’t you heard? I punch teachers and suppress minorities and I need all the help I can get.”

BLUE is out October 26th!

I’ll Be At The Festival Of Books In The Alleghenies This Weekend

If you’re anywhere near Central Pennsylvania this weekend, don’t miss the Festival Of Books In The Alleghenies. This year’s festival will be held in Ebensburg, PA, and features dozens of authors – including yours truly. I’ll be on the mainstage at 10:45am reading an excerpt from BLUE. And don’t forget to stop by my table at tent #5 afterward and enter to win an advanced copy of BLUE.

It’s going to be a great day, with all kinds of fun for the kids, food trucks to gorge yourself on, and best of all, lots of books to buy!

The mission of the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies is to promote authors, celebrate reading, and build community spirit while supporting literacy programs. The Book Festival is held yearly, rotating between the communities of Bedford, Somerset, and Ebensburg, connecting people through the imagination of literary artists, and the innovation of storytelling. The festival will unite people who enjoy reading with those who enjoy writing while providing the spark for future authors and poets. The Book Festival will use monies raised to support community endeavors focusing on literacy, such as libraries, literacy councils, and schools.

Hope to see you there!

Announcing BLUE: The Audiobook!

One of the great regrets of my writing career is that TRAVELER and DREAMER never got published in audio. That decision wasn’t up to me, of course, it was up to Macmillan Publishing. I was a debut author and audiobooks are frightfully expensive to produce, so a good many authors on my particular imprint got no audiobook.

I vowed to push for one with BLUE, and my wish came true. BLUE will be released in audio!

My narration will be done by the amazing Alison Maglaughlin, who has the absolutely perfect voice for Blue, and all her supporting characters. Even more than that, she gets this story – this multi-layered, sometimes heart-ripping, often hilarious story. Alison is an accomplished Audiobook narrator and podcaster, and working with her has been an outstanding experience.

So get ready for BLUE: the audiobook – coming October 26th!

ARC Copies of BLUE Have Arrived!

OMG aren’t they gorgeous?? I am so over-the-moon happy right now. I’ve got a beautiful box full of ARC copies (watch for BLUE on NetGalley later this month, as well) and we are rolling right along to release day. I can’t wait to share this story with you. I know you’ll come to love Blue, Maya, and Devon as much as I do. BLUE is available for pre-order on all major outlets, or just follow the links off the main page of my website.

In case you missed it, the book trailer for BLUE is up on YouTube. Watch it Here.

And finally – BLUE is in the running for The Booklife Prize by Publisher’s Weekly, and they gave BLUE a 10/10 Review!

We’re in the final countdown to release day, so watch for giveaways, author events, and all kinds of fun. BLUE hits the shelves on October 26th!

Three Years Ago Today I Was A Panelist at Comic-Con

Ever have a bucket list item become a reality? Ever have two of your wildest dreams come true simultaneously? That was me in 2018.

I had always, always dreamed of becoming a published author, and in 2017, I marked that off the bucket list when Macmillan published my YA Fantasy, TRAVELER. I longed to be on a high-level author panel, and was hopeful an invitation would open up somewhere. TRAVELER’s sequel, DREAMER, had just come out when a fellow author approached with an offer I had to pinch myself as I read: would I like to be part of an author panel at San Diego Comic-Con International?

Holy shit! Comic-Con International! THE Comic-Con. The big time!

Of course, being a life-long geek girl, that answer should have been an instant and thunderous Yes!

Except I read that email from a hospital bed, with my wheelchair sitting a few feet away. I had just survived a brain injury that damn near killed me and left me crippled, overwhelmingly exhausted, often fuzzy-brained, and unsure if I’d ever be able to successfully write again or retain any semblance of a “normal” life.

So I thought it over for a good long while, weighed all the pros and cons, and after roughly 90 seconds I responded Yes. Yes, I’d be thrilled to do it. I left off that I’d likely be overwhelmed and exhausted doing it, be terrified the whole time I did it, and my team of physical therapists told me there was no way I could do it yet. Comic-Con, at that point, was only three months away, and I had only just begun walking short distances or standing for more than a few minutes. But I had faith in my own resilience, and I wasn’t about to let this go by.

Three months later, in July of 2018, I flew solo across the country, my limp still pronounced. I navigated busy airports in Philadelphia and San Diego, and I picked up my Speaker Badge at the main pavilion.

For the next two days, I wandered in a daze, sat on every panel I could, even got invited to a couple of author mixers, sat down a LOT in hallways, and went to bed as early as I could. And the day of our panel? Full house!

It was terrific, and the audience was so engaged. I got a serious thrill when I set my book up to display on the table in front of me and an ooooh! went through the crowd. (Not that I blame them, my book cover was voted one of the most beautiful covers of 2017). And when the moderator asked my fellow panelists who they’d recommend for reading, one of them paid me the supreme compliment of pointing at my book and shouting it out. As we left the panel, I was getting stopped repeatedly by people asking where they could get my book. It was amazing, and more than a little surreal.

And then I stepped into the hallway and there was Jason Momoa, not ten feet away, heading to his signing event. One more bucket list item to check off! *swoon*

No one noticed I paused every few words for a split second as my brain processed the auditory input. No one noticed my phone was clutched very tightly in my left hand to keep people from realizing it was curled into a claw and mostly useless. No one cared that I limped – in a hugely crowded venue full of people wearing costumes with uncomfortable shoes, I certainly didn’t stand out for limping. And no one knew it took me the better part of a week to recover physically after over-taxing myself.

But I did it. I made my own personal history. I’m still here, still moving forward, and yes, still writing. Don’t stop believin’.

Let’s Talk About Tropes We Hate

Tropes: you love some – you hate some. And the truth is, tropes appear and reappear in stories for a reason. From the classic Cinderella story to the innocent maid winning the true-loving heart of the bad boy, a trope that is beautifully fleshed out, creatively spun, or turned on its head can rocket a story to greatness.

Likewise, a badly written or tiredly overused trope can result in a book being thrown into the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish) pile, and a trope that personally grinds your gears can have you hurling the book at the wall with great force.

Which brings me to my personal most-hated trope. No, it’s not the love triangle – I happen to like those when they’re well-written. They get a lot of hate, particularly in YA, but that’s because so many aren’t well-written. When they are, they’re a great source of dramatic tension. Want to know my personal pet peeve, never-fails-to-trigger-me trope?

I like to call it “Together ‘Till The End.”

It boils down to this: the hero or heroine loves their true love so deeply with the truest love that ever was true, so they bind their life to their mate’s. If one of them dies, so will the other, so they never have to live without each other. Sooooooo romantic. *swoon*

GAG.

Yep. Regardless of whether they have children who depend on them, or a rich, full life with purpose and family, laughter and friends, if one of them slips coming out of the shower and cracks their skull or chokes on a fish bone at dinner, blammo! The kids are orphans, and their extended family and friends can just piss right off and mourn them both. I’m looking at you, Sarah J. Maas. (She’s only the latest offender. You should have seen me screaming at Jin and Sun when I was watching LOST).

And of course, especially in YA, one or both of the power couple is a warrior and constantly facing threats, so the odds of one of them unexpectedly dropping dead in front of the kids while the other parent is off dealing with those annoying brigands at the border goes substantially up.

I swear, it makes my eye twitch nearly every time I read it (I say nearly in all fairness to Sarah J. Maas who is a goddess, because Yrene tied her life to Chaol’s to save his life, which is a good and fair use of that trope. Likewise with Lorcan giving up his immortality – which had to be done by binding himself to a mortal. Both are rare exceptions). I believe in true love, but excuse me as I clutch my pearls and shriek Somebody think of the children!

What about you? What’s your most hated trope?

What’s Up Wednesday

I am neck-deep (and often going under) on the edits of my next first draft. Of course, another story idea just waltzed into my head and started playing hockey with my grey matter, but that’s how it always goes for me. So into the story file with that one while I wrestle the other.

In the meantime, we’re finalizing interior, print cover and eBook format for BLUE, as well as book trailer development. I should have some goodies to share with you soon, and we’ll be having ARC giveaways for BLUE in August!

I’m fully vaccinated now, and I’m looking forward to in-person author events as things open back up. You can find info about my upcoming appearances at the Events Page on my website. My launch party for BLUE will be on there shortly, as well as links to the book festivals I’ll be attending. Hope to see you soon!

Print vs. Audio – Where Do You Stand?

I used to be one of those people who would never, I mean absolutely never listen to an audiobook. I knew I’d never have the same level of enjoyment. I loved visualizing as the words came off the page (or my Kindle) and filled my head. I couldn’t imagine hearing it. That wasn’t reading! It would surely lose much in the process.

And then . . .

I experienced a devastating brain injury that put me in the hospital for a month, and on short-term disability for nearly half a year. I lost a lot of motor function, and along with that, I learned the hard way that straining your optic nerves is really hard on your brain – particularly when it’s trying to compensate for dead gray matter.

I got headaches or blurred vision trying to read in bed at night after staring at my computer all day at the day job and all night while I’m writing. I was lucky if I could manage a page or two. It was heartbreaking. A good friend was kind enough to gift me three months of an Audible membership, and I decided to reluctantly give an audiobook a try on my hour-long commute to work.

JOY! Oh my God, it was amazing! I was loving it – and actually looking forward to my commute each day. And after I got through a few dozen audiobooks, I began looking forward to falling asleep to one of my old favorites, courtesy of the sleep timer on the app. My Theatre Degree had me thrilling to a great performance (check out Norah Roberts’ YEAR ONE trilogy on audio – the narrator is one damn fine performer and the story is so very good), and alternately cringing when a beloved book series changes its narrator part-way through (I’m glaring at you, “A Court of Thorns & Roses” – books 3 & 4’s narrator was decidedly not as good as 1 & 2 and reads like a newscaster).

I’m three years past my brain exploding, and can read for longer stretches (though not at my previous level). I actually enjoy books in all forms – print, digital and audio. Reading is reading, no matter how you enjoy it.

What about you? Do you prefer one story delivery system over another?

What’s Up Wednesday

I’m in the middle of first run pass pages for BLUE right now, and still clutching my heart over at this gorgeous interior setup. Check it out!

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Once again, a big shoutout to Stephanie Anderson with Alt19 Creative for her interior layout and front cover design. I cannot recommend her enough!

Pass pages give you a chance to read your book the way a reader will experience it. It’s very easy to go a bit “word blind” after staring at the same manuscript over countless hours and several months. Seeing the book laid out in format often makes it easier to find typos, formatting issues, and to catch little glitchy things like the final word of a chapter being all alone on the next page.

It also lets me reread my manuscript after not having done so for a few months. Everything reads differently with fresh eyes, and now is the time to do tiny little “fixes” in the writing wherever they need to be done. Then it’s back to Stephanie, who incorporates my edits and formatting notes, returning it to me for a final pass before the ARC’s go to print. There’s a lot of work that goes into a (hopefully) good book, and this is only a part of it–but it’s an important part.

I can’t wait to share BLUE with the world on October 26, 2021!

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It’s Cover Reveal Day For BLUE!

I am, and will forever mostly be a fantasy/sci-fi romance writer. So when BLUE first crept into my brain, my first thought was, “Yeah, that would make a great story, but I don’t write contemporary YA.”

BLUE decided to take root, and refused to allow me to write anything else until I finished it, so I did. It’s easy for me to say “This story wrote itself.” The truth is I wrote it, then I edited, passed it around my critique group, edited again, sent it to my beta readers, edited again, got an editor to peruse and polish with me, then one more round of beta readers and here we go. There were a lot of wonderful people who enabled and directed my madness and I am grateful for them all.

So without further ado – Here’s BLUE, release date: October 26, 2021.

Blue’s older brother was involved in a car accident that killed Maya’s father, and now Maya has returned to school determined to make Blue’s life a living hell in the aftermath. BLUE is a story about gaining perspective and checking your privilege, from L. E. DeLano, author of TRAVELER and DREAMER.