L.T. Marshall's Blog, page 43

A question a day #1

*** I get asked a lot of questions on a daily basis, both by readers and various marketing officials on interviews etc. So I decided to pick one a day and go into a little more depth on each one.

 

Question 1 – (well a little trio from one source which counts as one question)

Why are you writing books 7-9 in the Carrero world, after just finishing the last part of your second trilogy? Are you not bored of Carreroland? Is this due to fans asking for more or personal choice?

I love my Carrero world and am just not ready to part ways. I never intended for the series to keep going but every time I write a book another character or two present themselves to me and beg to be center stage. Although I do listen to my fans in a lot of things, I write what I love to write and cannot be swayed. So I am being completely honest when I say that I write Carrero books because I want to and am not ready to go elsewhere. I do have non Carrero books planned, but I write what my heart pushes me to write and at the moment it’s a new Carrero book.

They are like a warm hug. People I know as well as myself and a setting and world that’s like visiting old friends. I am comfortable within the throws of their lives and I am happy to say I have a lot of ideas for future books brimming already. I doubt I will ever bore of this family as they have infinite possibilities. Books 10 – 12 are planned too.

I normally jump to begin a book as soon as one has ended, because of the creative juices bubbling from the ‘finished feeling’. It’s a great way for me to break the way pages of a new book , even if I lay it aside and have a proper break. I can come back with a happy confidence I already have started something I can build on.

I think if it came to a point that these books were boring me, then I would tie it all up in a bow and say goodbye.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Okay to have a bad day.

Yesterday should have been the highlight of my year, I signed my first audio book deal for The Carrero effect and started the ball rolling with my audio publisher. It should have been a happy moment of achievement, smiles and celebrations…..yet it passed in a  moment of silence between bouts of  distressed tears in barely the blink of an eye.

See – I’m a mother and a fiancee, as well as being an author. I’m a person with normal everyday life issues and then some. Yesterday was the lowest point of my year so far because a lot of factors and feelings collided at one point in time and I had an epic breakdown of ginormous proportions.

I am one of those women who wear a smile everyday and never really let the outside see anything but social media queen, smiling and charming my way around the internet. Never have a bad day and life is always chipper. That’s me – Leanne the optimist, Leanne that finds a silver lining in any situation. Leanne doesn’t cry – ever. (ask family and they will agree). I am that woman others say ‘oh my god you have so got your shit together – you’re an inspiration’

Wrong.

I am a level headed problem solver and have a lot on my plate.

I am also human, and yeah did I mention – a mother.

It’s okay to not be okay. It’s even better to sob it out, spend a day in pyjammas and fall apart because sometimes it’s just okay to realize you are not superwoman and this shit is hard. It’s super hard, mind breaking , heart ripping , emotion ruining tough.

My kids are going through ordeals right now which feels like its bigger than the planet, as a couple me and my fella are going through some other normal life stressful stuff that is getting on top of me, and yesterday was the emotional end to my book 6. After every Carrero book I always do need a few days to recover and just let all that out normally. Let’s call it an accumulation of many factors in one awful day that started with a 2 hour sobbing session from my eldest child.

I broke, I sobbed, I poured my moans out onto my four closest of my team and I pulled through with a smile by the end of the day BUT the hours between those two points were that of a human who has just given up on life and stopped being responsible for everyone else.

All you mum’s out there who think people like me are weirdly organised, successful and have all my ducks in a row while living the glamorous author life – I want to be honest. Yesterday I did not a single thing , no housework, no cooking, not much work through the day, nothing except try and claw myself back together for the sake of everyone else.

I left my house in a state and it’s still a shambles today. I do not care. Fed my kids ready made microwave food that the perfect parent brigade would balk at, bypassed self hygiene and slept in the same PJ’s I wore all day. I never brushed my hair, never washed my face and ate too many packets of crisps in one sitting. I yelled at my kids, threw around washing to vent and then cried on a helpline to a stranger while trying to not completely lose my sanity.

Worst day ever – Yes.

Am I a failure for letting life get on top of me – No.

Today – I feel like a whole lot of weight has been lifted and my positive outlook is back. Being a strong mum doesn’t mean always having all the answers, the strength or emotional sanity. It’s not about being on the ball and having all the chores done, because well, life happens when you are busy hoovering. You got to do what you need to do – breakdown, let it out and take some me time to have an epic fail day once in a while. Once a day if needs be. Mum’s forget that our mental state is just as important as the families we care for. In fact, more so, because we are the glue that binds them all together and if we fall apart, then our children do too.

This crap is so much harder than they warn you about and the tiredness and frustrations you feel on a daily are only the tip of the iceberg.

See the reality is – motherhood makes you insane on so many levels.

It does not however mean, you’re a bad mother.

If I drunk wine then I would have shamelessly downed a lot of it yesterday and then sobbed in the bathtub while cradling it like a newborn. Luckily for my children’s sake I am not a wine partaker and did end up gorging on Wot-sits instead. Which isn’t really ideal seeing as I have hyperactivity allergies connected to orange color on snacks.

I just want you to know that sometimes when it seems you are at your lowest, things cannot look worse and nothing is fixable, that it’s okay to let it out and just stop for a while. Let it go. let it out. Admit you need help or need to cry. Reach out to others as we all know what this is like. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to admit – today I am not coping.

We’re not superwomen, we all hide reality behind closed doors and there is nothing shameful about not always being able to handle what life throws at us.

Your better day won’t be far away and you will weather the storm.

 

 

The Carrero Heart – Happy Ever Afters Playlist

With every book I write, I use songs in the stages of creating. My fans adore listening along to these songs as they feel it gives each book way more depth and feeling. So I make them public on YouTube for all of you to enjoy and share.

With the release of book 6 only 10 days away, I figured it was a great time to also make my song list for this one public. So below is the order of the songs that go with book 6.

You can access my public playlist here – CLICK ME

[image error]

[image error]

.•°*★ PRE-ORDER NOW!! ★*°•.

mybook.to/CarreroHeart3

★⋰⋰⋱★⋰⋰⋱★ COVER REVEAL ★⋰⋰⋱★⋰⋰⋱★

[image error]

The Carrero Heart Book 3 – Happy Ever Afters

By L.T.Marshall

Book 6 in the popular Carrero Series

Releasing 20th April 2018

 

Blurb

Sophie Huntsberger and Arrick Carrero start their new life in France, where Sophie hopes to follow her dream and finish her term in the Paris Fashion Academy. Everything seems too good to be true and a happy ever after is clearly on the cards for our best friend duo – or is it?

Unforeseen long separations, conflicts from fellow students who see Sophie as a threat – being cut off from family and friends half way across the world, all take a toll on the besotted couple.

Unraveling threads faster than Sophie can sew them back together. Life takes a drastic turn when the unexpected happens and tests the strength of their love.

* * *

She will have to choose between her dreams and her heart

PRE order available from 10th April 2018

Author Links:

Amazon author page – Author.to/LTMarshall

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LTMarshallauthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LMarshallAuthor

Tumblr – https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ltmarshall

#clubcarrero #pictpublishing

[image error]

The Carrero Effect Ebook update

Amazon have pushed a manual update for all owners of The Carrero effect eBook. This is the newly edited and redesigned eBook. We are redoing each one over the next few months.
Sadly they are not emailing my customers of this updated and flawless version and you have to manually go and take the update from your list of books on your account.

[image error]

Now normally if this was a pushed update it should happen by itself, but amazon have decided this is not to be the case. However I do encourage you to do the following for updates to any books you own in the near future.

 

To receive updates to your eBooks automatically:


Turn on the Annotations Backup* for your Kindle device or Kindle reading app. …
Go to the Manage Your Content and Devices page.
Select “Automatic Book Update” under the Settings tab.
Select “On” from the dropdown menu.

 

To get my update you need to do this –

 

This blog has a great step by step on how to find and update your book

https://www.howtogeek.com/tips/how-to-get-the-latest-version-of-your-kindle-books-including-ours/

It’s coming……

You know you’re excited right???

 

[image error]

And in case the cover is just not enough for you……

 

[image error]

Have a teaser or two…..

 

[image error]

[image error]

Paperback re-release of The Carrero Effect and a mini update.

If you are a follower of my social media then you will know that in January, all Carrero paperbacks were taken down and removed. This was in readiness for all the books being re-edited, redesigned and formatted by my team at Pict Publishing. It took a two month long, team effort – but book one – The Carrero Effect, was released today officially on Amazon and is now available for purchase.

Get the paperback – getbook.at/CarreroEffectPB

The new look cover is setting the standard for the next books and the flawless interior will be replicated in The Carrero Influence in the next month or so. We have plans to work through all books one by one until we catch up (which should follow the release of book 6)

As an Indie author I am always striving to be better in my craft and give my readers what I feel they deserve. In this case my books needed to be picked apart for flaws and polished and I hope the new version will stand out and do me proud. My readers deserve the best I can give them and that is my goal for all my books this year. Every single book I have released will undergo the same thorough process and be replaced.

I have requested a manual update via amazon for all that own the eBook already and will know within the week if they will send an update to all owners of the book. I shall keep you all informed.

[image error]

Mini Update:

[image error]

Those of you eagerly awaiting the release of book six should know that I have been writing it day and night and I am about two thirds to completion. I have not rushed this book, not pushed myself to write as fast as I did with the last books, as I really want to give this couple a book three worthy of their epic start. I have a soft spot for Arrick and Sophie, and I wanted to revel in their lives as long as possible before letting them go out into the world and moving onto the next Carrero book.

We should have a more specific release date very soon and will keep you updated. The beta readers who have seen the first dozen chapters can assure you this is a gripping and emotional final book to their trilogy.

 

Awesome News!

 

I can officially announce that I have been offered an audio book deal on The Carrero Effect, and I have accepted. They already have the ball rolling for a narrator. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be working with a publishing company on this.

That means that book one will soon be available on sites like audible to listen to any time you want and could be the start of huge things for Carrero. We are currently discussing the kind of narrator I want to play Emma in the reading of the books and will blog about this when I have more news.

 

[image error]

Personal post – Just had to share my bear.

So anyone who knows me on a personal level, knows that I have a severe affliction – rainbows, unicorns, glitter, and fluffy. It’s like my major weaknesses in life and despite my Carrero brand all being sort of monochrome with a hint of yellow gold – I am a complete colour addict. I cannot bypass something sparkly, bright or cute when I am out and about and that includes perusing social media.

I suffer with severe anxiety. A lot of the time it’s directly related to sensory processing disorder which I have in all five of my senses. I have many triggers, such as loud noise, lot’s of chaos, two people talking to me at once etc. I have found that many little tricks help me a lot and having a fluffy snuggle item is an instant calmer when I feel at my most uptight. My anxiety covers a lot of issues and all of them are soothed with the help of furry treasures I keep with me at all times.

I literally collect fluffy, rainbow things as a way to self soothe when I am not coping too well.

I also have a huge respect and major weakness for hand made, handcrafted items. I myself ran a business for many years making and creating and I still do events every summer for my loyal fans over at Liana Marcel on facebook. I find it very calming and have a really creative nature. So to have someone handcraft me a bear to my own specifications at such a high quality, really meant the world to me.

That brings me to the point of this post – ‘Princess Rainbow Candy’. A bear made for me by the wonderful Bedlam Bears on Facebook. She is so exquisite, soft and jointed, I fell in love the second I laid eyes on her. She is simply adorable and makes me so happy in a childish, warm fuzzy way. She was made fast, posted even faster and the bear itself is made with such skill and love that she blew me away.

I will pop the links below should you want to check out this amazing page and how truly skilled they are. All the bears and kitties are handmade and I can tell you, of the highest quality. The bear came carefully packaged in a box covered in bear paws and a lovely little sparkly box and rainbow name tag. I was very impressed with this pages communication, turn around and obvious love and passion in what she does.

So now time for some candid camera bear shots. Expect more as time goes on as this is my new buddy! Chico may have some competition LOL

[image error]

[image error]

[image error]

 

 

 

Facebook
Bedlam Bears
@bedlambears

 

Weekend Team War Winner

I am heaving a sigh of relief that our war is now over, do not get me wrong , it was hilarious and fun but also exhausting. I think everyone in my fan group is glad that normal service can resume and we can get back to being friends and chatting books.

It was a crazy successful war of the hashtag teams and one look at a google image search of one of the team hashtags says it all. If you missed what was going on then you can read the original blog post here .

We dominated google.

 

[image error]

So who won you say?

 

Well in a surprising twist we had one rogue fan who just completely refused to give up, or care that as a solo member in a non Carrero team, she had zero chance . SO in the end, we decided that it was this passion, loyalty and determination that deserved the win above all the hoards of Carrero hashtags. #TeamRob was holding her own.

[image error]

 

[image error]

 

It was unanimous among our mixed Carrero judges that this war was only ever to be had in fun and the millions of hashtags really held no candle to the determination of one fan’s love for a book that she didn’t want to be disloyal to.

If you want to join #TeamRob then pop over to Shirin’s blog and show her some love.

http://opinionatedcupcakes.blogspot.co.uk/ Congratulations Shirin!!!

[image error]

 

[image error]

No will always mean NO – an impromptu rant!

EDIT – since posting this, my friend has also put up a post about it on her Facebook. Link is at the bottom should you want to show her some love xx

Today on social media I got into a very heated discussion on a fellow authors post and it put me in such an irritated mood I literally had to vent to my closest friends. Now I am not one to take to any form of social media to have a personal rant, but this one time I feel it is justified. I was still brimming an hour later and decided that I wanted to vent a bit more publicly. I just need to properly get this out before I self implode and apologise in advance for what you are about to endure LOL.

Hold onto your hats lovelies – A Leanne rant ensues!

See this was not just some grievance on a  post that could have been ignored. This was about a male mindset and how he was oblivious to how he has been brainwashed into thinking it was acceptable. That men have a right to treat women in any way they desire and that somehow , we ask for it.

Last time I checked I didn’t see a topless guy on Facebook and felt like I had the right to send him a picture of my Lady Garden in full throes, because being topless – he clearly asked for it.

I wont put up names or any of the such, so please do not ask me. That is not the point of this post. The point is how common this crap is and how common this man’s pathetic victim shaming is.

I write about sexual harassment every single time pen touches paper of a Carrero book, its embroiled in the pages and characters….because they are women. That is a sad every day fact. Yes, I know men also deal with the same issues, trust me its never right on either side and using the ‘it happens to men too’ does not justify the action AT ALL. EVER!. Not being a man, I cannot comment on the sort of messages or treatment they get, but even I know that the ratio of this kind of things tips heavily onto our side. Every single girl on the planet by the age of 21 will have experienced sexual harassment, levels of minor sexual assault, and sometimes full blown assault. The same is not said of men. Just look at the #metoo campaign if you have any doubts.

So what happened? I hear you ask.

A fellow author received pretty disgusting, sexually focused private messages in which a male continued to harass her for intimate details and lewd chat. Even after telling him repeatedly she was not going to give him those responses.  He was told NO. Something I can assure you that every female on social media has endured. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

The lady was venting, and showing the messages she received. As we all do. While the majority of commenter’s were equally disgusted, one man pretty much pointed out  in a more diplomatic and ‘shrouded in nice guy’ way – that she shouldn’t complain as she asked for it and should expect it. That because she sometimes post provocative share posts and writes books with sexual content, that she neither had the right to be ‘shocked’ or ‘disgusted’ by it, ‘she shouldn’t put out bait if she didn’t want to catch fish’ – his words.

Yeah classy guy – right?

This is the page of a well known erotica writer who tailors her posts for her female readership. (no idea why the creepy guy felt he had a foot to stand on then) I myself am an avid follower and fan and have never seen any content on her page which warranted any direct messages asking her for personal details on sexual acts. She occasionally shares posts from funny feminist pages and sexy pages – this is not justification to be personally targeted.

His opinion was that because she writes about sexual content, it tells him she is horny 24/7 and asks for it. He seems to confuse the fact on a few things here.

1 – Sharing posts is not ‘asking for anything’. That means most women in the world are also asking for the same thing as the posts she shares are usually viral images.

2 – He has no concept that her characters are not her – they are fictional beings with their own desires and sex lives and in no way reflect the author’s own life. You know, like mine are and I don’t appreciate getting the same messages because Jake and Emma bang a lot in book 2 (SORRY SPOILER ALERT)

3 – Sharing sexy posts does not send the message – I am horny PM me. Not unless you are offering web chat services and soft porn and add a price tag to your PM functions. These sort of posts are very obvious and if you want that I am sure even I could quickly locate and redirect you to them. If you do not know the difference, then please leave all social media immediately and go take a sex ed class on ‘how to interact with the opposite sex’

4 – Any human has a right to express themselves, share content, and be whoever they want to be, on any platform. It is never a justification to sexually harass them and yes, it’s actually illegal in most countries. As is cyber bullying her when you got your NO answer.

This here is what we commonly call VICTIM SHAMING – Oh, but you did this, so you deserved it.

You know that age old – well she was walking down the street minding her own business in a short dress, she clearly wanted every man she passed to shout sexual lewd comments at her.

Pretty sure that no longer sways a judge in a  modern court. Oh and 90% of us eye roll and mentally wish you would fall down a sewer drain as we walk by.

We see this every single day of our lives, in many forms. And no matter what excuses you make for it – it’s harassment. It’s not okay, its not warranted EVER and we do not want it. Learn some damn respect.

The reason you are mass pm’ing all these women dear ‘dirty dick’ is because your success rate is NIL – think about that. If you had managed to bag a randy lady then we wouldn’t all be suffering your spew of spam mails and dick pics. Pretty sure you and your kind can be easily picked out in a line up, by thousands of unimpressed women,  if you drop your pants.

As people (no matter the gender) we should be reinforcing human’s equal right to not have to deal with this bull. As people we all have an equal right to be who we want to be without fear of inviting the wrong impression.

And dear Facebook, an electro shock response button would really be appreciated in cases like this….preferably activated the second they click their camera for an ‘intimate pic’ to send us.

As Erotica authors they do not lose the right to not want to be sexually harassed because of their craft. Stop making excuses…stop encouraging this kind of crap.

Writing about sex in romance books is not asking to be sexually harassed.

The same men who do this are the same ones who cat call in the street, push up against girls in nightclubs, grope people in crowds….. still carry on when she changes her mind and says No and then shames her into thinking it is her fault.

That reality is all too common.

Yes I am on a  mission, yes my books are littered with this kind of bull against women, and I won’t stop crusading against little moronic men on friend’s posts thinking they can mans-plane her and shame her into thinking this was on her own head. Get some control of your hormones. They neuter dogs who behave like you.

Be a better person. Have some decency and humanity. Treat women like people , not meat , not some object to be abused and used.

End of Rant!!! Amen.

Alexx’s post- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1585960781516594&set=a.387243254721692.1073741825.100003080638635&type=3&theater

 

[image error]