L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 42

I Call This One “The Journey”

[image error]

I slam my journal shut. . .

[image error]

I do my best to ignore the rock in my stomach. It’s not working. This is some serious freak-out-level crazy. And I have to decide whether I believe it or not.

#2bitTues

Topic: “Ignore”

So I Opened The Box, And There They Were. . .My Books!

[image error]

They’re here! Oh my God, they’re here.

Aren’t they beautiful?

I swear to you, opening that box was just like that moment when they put my baby into my arms at the hospital. Only with less crying (because I was the only one crying this time).

Same amount of sweat and labor, though.

Now we see how it grows.

This proud author moment brought to you by my daughter, who was rolling her eyes and saying, “Stop crying, already!”

[image error]

My Writing Companions. . .

[image error]

The Books Are In! The Books Are In!

[image error]

[Photo courtesy of Swoon Reads]

They did it.

They actually did it, y’all.

They printed my book. My book. And the books are in and in a short time, I will be holding one in my sweaty, shaking hand.

I am speechless. I am in love (oh my God, aren’t they just gorgeous?), and I am beyond grateful to every single person who got me to this.

Every. Single. One. Of. You.

Today is a very, very good day.

 

My First Good Bad Review

[image error]

So uuuuuugh.

I got my first less-than-stellar review.

It’s bound to happen, and I know that. Even JK Rowling and Stephen King have one-star reviews and people who consider them highly overrated.

And really, this one wasn’t bad bad. It was actually very well thought-out, and the reviewer went so far as to say that she loved the first 3/4 of the book. What turned it for her was the ending. To her credit, she didn’t spoil the ending other than to say she didn’t like the way it resolved.

So all in all, she really liked the book until the ending – an ending that I took a huge chance on because it isn’t your typical linear romance-novel ending at all. There are bound to be people who aren’t okay with that sort of deviation, and I get that. Bottom line, she had some thoughtful insight, and I get where she’s coming from, even if I don’t entirely agree with all of it. And she liked it, mostly. I’ll take my lumps on that one and call it a 3/4 win.

You can’t make everyone happy as an artist. I have an author friend who had very positive reviews on her debut novel, but a few bad reviews hit the radar, of course. One guy went so far as to create an entire YouTube video dedicated to trashing her book! Yeesh! But she landed a TV deal off her second book and she’s smiling and waving all the way to the bank.

So far, I’ve had a couple of dozen reviews – all good, and one 3/4 good. For a debut author in a very competitive genre (and these are reviews off the galley copy), that’s not too shabby. I stand by my work because I love the story, I love these characters, and I know I’m not alone in that. I also know that won’t be my last less-than-stellar review.

Live and learn, and keep on writing.

When Your Instagram Looks Like This

[image error]

So many pretties. So many.

Love.

Another Version Of My Traveler Aesthetic

[image error]

I did a slightly different version of this on a red background (to symbolize the red door – you’ll get the significance of that once you read the book) but I love the blue version here, as well. It highlights a few of the components (and hearthrobs!) of the story, with the lines of text calling out to a couple of soft and heart-tugging moments.

I’m really digging on the aesthetic thing. I’ve put together a few more that I’ll be unveiling in the weeks surrounding the launch – which is less than a month away!

[image error]

Yeah, baby!

It’s All There Inside You. Trust That.

[image error]

The Things That Haunt Us

[image error]

“Every love story is a ghost story.”

~ David Foster Wallace

A friend of mine posted that quote over the weekend, and it’s been haunting my mind ever since because it is sheer perfection.

Think about it. Every story boils down, in its essence, to the things that are haunting those characters, or that world you’ve built. What scarred them? What keeps them awake at night (good or bad)? What did they have to overcome – or still need to overcome? What question has been left unanswered that drives them on? What face do they see when they close their eyes?

You can’t really know someone until  you know what haunts them.

Food for thought, as build these characters and the lives they’ll lead.