L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 36

That’s Right – Its A New TRAVELER #Giveaway

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You’re reading that correctly! I’m running a giveaway for this awesome pack of goodies:

Signed copy of TRAVELER
Personal Journal
Glitter Mousse scented candle from the Nox To Lumos Candle Co. (If you haven’t read the book yet – Glitter Mousse is a serious addiction!)
Set of Antiqued Pirate ship and TRAVELER- themed mirror bookmarks
$25 Amazon Gift Card

And how do you get your grubby mitts on all this awesome, you ask? Simple!

Comment on this post
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Retweet my giveaway Tweet for a DOUBLE entry

Winner will be announced on May 15th! Open to all, so spread the word!

 

 

Teen Reads Reviews TRAVELER!

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Happy Friday! Hop on over to TeenReads.com and check out their stellar review of TRAVELER! Here’s a bit of what they had to say:

“I was overwhelmed by the beautiful descriptions in this book, and I felt as if I could see each and every world that Jessa traveled to. Each world was uniquely different, simultaneously so outlandish, yet intriguing, that I wanted a new book based in every place.”

You can read the full review here. Many thanks to Jessica K for reading and reviewing!

Does TRAVELER Have A Playlist? Of Course It Does!

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I’ve been asked on more than one occasion if there’s a playlist for TRAVELER – and the answer is yes, of course there is! I had even planned to blog about it but just about the time I was ready to do that I got a request from the publisher to do a guest blog at Kindle And Me on the subject as part of a multi-blog tour, so I sent it off that direction along with my other posts and I honestly forgot about it in the whirlwind around the book launch.

Anyway, Kelly and Anjana have a terrific review blog and were kind enough to host my guest post about the TRAVELER playlist and you can read all about it here.

I’m finalizing DREAMER now, and oh, the playlist on this one! Just wait till you hear it!

Do you find that music helps you inhabit your story? Do you have it on while you write or does it run through your mind in the downtime?

What’s Up Wednesday – I’ve Been Busy!

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So I’m polishing off the final, final (I hope) edits on DREAMER, and dabbling here and there on the next two projects that have been warring in my head for prominence, when in strolls a third story. A glorious story!

Oh, story . . . leave me alone. Not forever, just long enough to let me put a lid on one of these other stories.

Sometimes, the discipline side of being a writer can be a real pain in the ass.

Anyway, in addition to that, I’m trying to line up a couple of more book signing events – details on those when I get them cemented, and I’m going to have another giveaway! Look for the details on that here on the blog on May 1st!

That’s all the news there is to print for today. Stay tuned tomorrow for the TRAVELER playlist!

“He’s the guy in charge. . .”

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“I’m just the guy who tries not to  get killed.”

“How’s that going?”

“I’ve only died twice today.”

#2bitTues

From: WIP

Topic: “Respect”

Sometimes You Have To Step Away From The Keyboard & March For What Matters

I didn’t get a lick of writing done on Saturday, because I was slogging through the mud and getting soaked to the skin at the March for Science in Washington D.C. I got to hear Bill Nye and a host of others shout out the wonders of science and the hope for a clean, sustainable planet – it was amazing just being part of it.

Despite the muck and the misery, we were all in great spirits, and the camaraderie and enthusiasm made it an experience I’ll cherish for a lifetime. Here’s a picture dump of the day – enjoy!

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TRAVELER Deleted Scene: Jessa Had A Secret

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TRAVELER has gone through many revisions on its road to being a published novel. A lot of is was polished and re-arranged, and two subplots were cut completely. One of them I felt a little torn over, but the editors felt it was too much – considering the plot arc of that character.

So here’s what the original scene looked like, the first time Jessa stepped through an antique mirror and met Pirate Finn . . .

“Jessa? Is something wrong, love?”

I open my mouth and close it again, shaking my head. “You sound kind of…Irish.”

“Well how d’you expect me to sound?” he asks, confused.

“I–I don’t know. I guess the Irish is fine.” Actually, it was sexy and it made my stomach flutter, is what I really want to say to him, but maybe it’s just the aftermath of that kiss.

I glance around. “Love the ship.”

“Well, I would hope so. It’ll be your home soon enough.”

“But I’m en–” I break off as the rest of the memories fill my head. I’m not marrying Boyce. I’m running away. I three weeks, I’ll be running away with Finn. He pulled into port four months ago, and told me I was a Traveler. We’d become romantically involved shortly after. And we are leaving town, sailing away together.

Because I was pregnant.

Suddenly, entirely too many memories are filling my head, and I step back, putting a little room between us. My hand goes instinctively to my belly.

His eyes show his concern, and he steps forward, placing his hand over mine across my lower stomach.

“Are you all right, love? Is it the babe?”

That’s right – in the original version of the story, alternate Jessa and Pirate Finn were running away together and planning to elope in order to head off the coming scandal. And now you know why he had to loosen her corset strings at the ball later – it wasn’t just because she was constricted – she was worried about the baby.

I thought it was an interesting exercise to see Jessa experience being a teen mom, and there were a couple of lovely, tender moments between her and Finn because of it. Unfortunately, it really did put an entirely different spin on the epilogue that the editors thought might be too dark.

So there’s that tidbit – expect more scenes from the cutting room floor in the future!

Another Great Review of TRAVELER by With Love For Books

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Many thanks to Suze at WithLoveForBooks.com for her great and thorough review of TRAVELER! Here’s a bit of what Suze had to say:

“The possibilities are endless, but she keeps it easy to follow, which is something I loved. Traveler uses a well known concept of parallel universes, which I always find fascinating as the success of the stories usually depends on the fantasy and creativity of the author. It was fun to take a look into L.E. DeLano’s imaginary world. Traveler has an unexpected and open ending, which instantly made me want to read more. I really liked this compelling story.”

You can read the full review on their website, and be sure to check out all the other reviews while you’re there! Suze, Anniek and Tanya do a fabulous job and really, really love what they do.

Thanks again to With Love For Books!

I Really Need To Learn To Trust Myself As A Writer

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So I just got another set of edits on my latest version of DREAMER, and as I’m scrolling through my editor’s notes, I started to get worried.

There weren’t many. I mean, nothing. A word here. A sentence there. Few, and far between.

This is when my stupid insecurities come into play.

Maybe she’s not giving me stuff to change because she’s given up. She just wants this over with so she’s phoning it in.

Maybe they really didn’t read it. Maybe they only skimmed it because I’m not worth the time.

All of those thoughts are ridiculous, and I know in my logical mind they’re ridiculous. My editor’s job is to turn in the best damn book she can and the publisher certainly isn’t going to put a book they’ve ‘given up on’ out on a shelf with their name on it. That’s just lunacy.

And when she read the new chapter I wrote that I thought was so freaking good – she wrote one simple sentence in the margin: This is AMAZING.

But somehow, that wasn’t enough to make me entirely sure that she shouldn’t be writing me tomes about all the stuff that probably still needed to change. What the hell is wrong with me?

The book is good. I know the book is good. And this isn’t a first draft. It’s been revised significantly already. I just can never feel like it’s done. Or good enough. Why?

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw some more meaty rewriting is needed on a chapter near the end, but how crazy is that? I’m glad it wasn’t great? Because that jives with my view of how it should be – not great, but getting there.

I need to accept that I’ve gotten there. Mostly. Not to pat myself on the back, but to stand strong in my love for this book, and the story its characters tell. And I do love it. I love where they’ve all been and who they’ve grown into. So much.

Guess I need to pull up my writer britches and get to work and stop worrying about every little thing.

Me, and every other writer in the world since the beginning of time.

Check Out The Fabulous Fan Artwork!

I’ve been meaning to share this for awhile because it’s just that terrific! Olivia M. is a fan and drew this for me:

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There’s Jessa, stepping through the mirror to a glittery new reality. Thanks Olivia! So glad you enjoyed TRAVELER!!