Ellie Thornton's Blog, page 2

The Heir of Thornfield Manor Hardcover Release!

I'm so excited because my Reboot Mystery Series is getting hardcovers! Woot woot!

At the end of the month, I'll have up to book four, The Heir of Thornfield Manor, in Hardcover. And it's certainly past due.





I'm especially excited to get this going because my 94-year-old grandpa, almost 95, asks me every time I visit when I'm bringing this book. For over a year this has been going on. It'll be nice to be able to hand him the hardcopy when he asks. Haha!

To celebrate the release of the hardcopy, I'm throwing an event and giving away 3 $5 dollar Amazon gift cards. You can learn more about this event, here: https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

Snowed In Clean Romance Series is Ready to Go!

The "Snowed In Clean Romance Series," all six books, are live on Amazon now! And they're doing great.





I've been reading through them and am loving what each the authors have put together!

All the books are standalone, so you can read them in any order, but you'll want to see them all because they're so much fun.

If you like romance and snow and all things Christmas fun, you won't want to miss out.

My book is "Snowed In at the Archive," book #4 in the series.





Here's a review of my book AND of the series. (The reviewer mentioned both!)

"A story that holds your interest and includes an ahhh romance. Can an ATF agent provide protection and romance at the same time. This one tries. You'll have to read for yourself to see if he succeeds. I received an ARC of this series in exchange for honest reviews. So far, I have liked every book in the series and I intend to keep reading until the end." - Amazon Reviewer

You can check out the series here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

You won't be disappointed!

What's your favorite Christmas Book?

There are so many Christmas stories that I just love.

I'm a big fan of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "Polar Express." These were stories that I remember reading as a kid and loving. And of course, over the last few years we've gotten some fun movies based off them.

I've read a few Christmas romances this year and they're all fun.

I just recently started Hercule Poirot's Christmas and so far I'm really enjoying it too.

Though, if I had to pick just one favorite Christmas book, I'd go with "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. As someone who used to do Ghost Tours, I can tell you that Christmas and Ghost do go. Haha! Plus, this is just such a heartwarming story and I love it.





And I love almost every movie adaption I've seen of it. I even liked The Muppet Christmas Carol. Haha! (All except for the stupid Hulu one that came out last year. I saw maybe 30 minutes of the first episode before quitting in boredom and disgust.)

I've also just started reading one called "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" by Amelia C. Houghton. One of my friends from my writing group recommended it. She loves it so much she reads it to her kids every year. So, I'm really excited to read it.

Anyway, I'd love to know what your favorite Christmas novel is. Drop me a comment below and I'll add it to my Christmas novel list.

What do you get out of reading?

What do you get out of reading? What's your payoff?





Stories have always been a way for me to escape. Escape boredom, escape sadness, escape the normal every day, escape the real world into a world of magic, adventure, of heroes and the possible. And not only that, but stories have always been so empowering and educational.

One of my favorite tropes in stories is friendships. And I'm not just talking the mc has a best friend that pops in to tell them how wonderful they are at a moment when they need it most. I'm talking stories where friendships are key.

One of the first series that I not only liked but loved was the Lord of the Rings series. Obviously, those books are wildly successful for many reasons--action, adventure, good versus evil, succeeding against all odds, interesting and witty characters, and more--and I loved them for these things as well, but what really sold me on those books were the friendships between the characters.

The friendships in those books were unlike any I'd read up until that point. These characters loved one another so much, they all ended up sacrificing so much for their friends, even, at times, in moments when it felt like all was lost or there was no point in their loyalty to one another, they stayed true. I now call stories like these platonic love stories.

Those friendships so resonated with me, that now, even twenty plus years after reading them, I still do my best to be that kind of friend. And to this day, I still love reading books that have those amazing types of friendships in them--not matter the genre.

But books can also help us to learn about the world. Many of us in 2020 have no idea what it's like to live through a world war, and hopefully, we never will, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't understand how those things happen and how they can influence our lives. Using Lord of the Rings as an example again, we are able to step into the shoes of these characters, and learn from people who are in situations very similar to that of a world war. Sure, LOTR is still very much a story to escape into, but it's not one you walk out of unchanged, which is part of the reason it, and so many other, millions of books, are so wonderful.

So for me, the best of books are ones that not only help me to escape, but also help me to grow as a person, and to learn about the world past, present, and future.

So, dear reader, what do you get out of reading? What's your payoff?

Reviews are in! Yaya!

Woot woot! Reviews for "Snowed In at the Archive" are coming in.





Check these out:

"This story has it all... The romance, a mystery, snow, typical brothers, guy who left, snow, bad guys, intrigue, and more snow. The plot has many ups and downs and a few twists to keep you on your toes. I could not put this book down. Get ready for a lot of smiles with this one." - JLH

"I loved this book! Very interesting complex and quirky characters made this a very enjoyable read. Lots of twists and turns and surprises occur throughout the story which makes it a page turner! Looking forward to reading more by this author!" -Charlene

"This story is a refreshingly clean but most satisfying read, exuding authentic small town flavour. With good pacing and a taut buildup to a nail-biting climax, the suspense, romance, and humour, are all superbly balanced. The characters are intelligent, loyal, and genuinely likeable - the type of people I wouldn’t mind spending more time with. In fact, the only thing that would make this book even better would be an extended epilogue." - Bev H.

Eeeee! I just love reading reviews. And I appreciate so much those who are willing to take the time. It really means a lot. Thank you!

As any author knows, one of the best, THE BEST, things about being an author is seeing reviews come in.

It's even better when the reviews are good. (Shocker, I know.)

Of course we love hearing what people think about our books, but there's actually so much more to it than that.

Check out this handy infographic I found on Google. It explains why reviews are about so much more than just bolstering an authors ego. (Though, feel free. 😉)





Did you know this? Interesting right?

And there's more to it than that. Many people don't realize this, but being an author is being a small business. And most authors don't make much money. The ones that do the best, inevitably are the one who can get reviews.

So, if you enjoy a book, review a book.

You could put "Loved it!" or "This was great!" or "Must read!" or "Excellent!"

It's not what you put that matters so much, (though authors do love to hear what you think,) it's the number of reviews that an author gets that really counts.

So, go forth and review!

Time Travel Questions

I've been thinking about time travel a lot lately and there's always so many questions. Why? Because I'm writing a time travel book, naturally. Haha!





One of my author friends, the amazing Lucy McConnell, asked a time travel question today. She asked: If you could go back to any moment in history, when would it be and why?

This question hurts my brain. There are so many amazing events in history, I don't know how I'd even begin to decide.

And of course, there's always the side question dealing with time AND space. Even if you could go back in time, could you go back to any place you'd like as well? Or would I be stuck going back in time where I am?

If that's the case, I live in Utah, so there's quite a few historical events and figures I'd love to witness and meet here, but man, oh man to be present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, or to pop in on the building of the pyramids, or Stonehenge, or to travel to New Testament times and listen to the sermon on the mount.

But then, that brings up more questions. If we go back in time, can we talk to people, or must we remain quiet witnesses? Will we change history if we get involved or would it be impossible for us to change history because we've technically always been apart of it since we went back?

See what I mean? Sooooo many questions.

I'd love to know what you think? Where would you go? Can you go anywhere or only back where you physically are? Can you be an active participant in events? Or would that change history?

And, if you have any suggestions for time travel novels, I've got a bookshelf I've created just for them. I'm making my way through as many as I can before I dive in too deep into mine. Haha!

Please leave your suggestions in the comments! This girl needs all the help she can get.

"Snowed In at the Archive" is out!

"Snowed In at the Archive" released yesterday and I'm so excited. Not only did it get a little orange # 1 new release banner today, but there's also been some really nice reviews.





Here a couple reviews:

- This story is a refreshingly clean but most satisfying read, exuding authentic small town flavour. With good pacing and a taut buildup to a nail-biting climax, the suspense, romance, and humour, are all superbly balanced. The characters are intelligent, loyal, and genuinely likeable - the type of people I wouldn’t mind spending more time with. In fact, the only thing that would make this book even better would be an extended epilogue. - Amazon Reviewer

- I loved this book! Very interesting complex and quirky characters made this a very enjoyable read. Lots of twists and turns and surprises occur throughout the story which makes it a page turner! Looking forward to reading more by this author! - Amazon Reviewer

Grab your copy today! https://www.amazon.com/Snowed-Archive...

Sneak Peek From "Snowed In at the Archive"

SNEAK PEEK

A gust of wind blew down the stairwell, sending the glass door to the stairs wide. The cool air hit Mila straight on, sending chills up her spine and several papers flying. Jack grabbed one paper mid-air, while she rushed to pick up the others. Several papers lay strewn across the floor under the table, and she dropped to gather them.

Two separate set of footsteps clunked down the stairs, one set lighter than the other.

“Mila?” Father Terri called out. The man’s soft voice still carried. With a soothing voice like his, she could understand why he was a man of God.

She grabbed another paper. “Under here, Father,” she said.

Then Freddie spoke, his tone shocked, “Alec?”

Mila froze as laughter came from Freddie, Jack, and a third party. Freddie pushed off his stool and rounded the table, his feet in brown loafers met up with Jack’s tennis shoes, Father Terri’s black dress shoes, and a fourth set of brown steel-toed winter boots, still wet from being outside.

“How are you guys?” The deep baritone of the man she was trying to forget seemed to ooze under the table and wrap around her.

“Good, good,” chorused her traitor best friends. Thumping sounds came next and she could picture the men hugging and patting each other on the back.

She stayed stock still under the table, papers clutched in one hand, the other reaching out.

“I’m going to go see to our other guests.” Father Terri turned, retreating up the stairs in his black dress shoes. She wished she could go with him. Vanish into the walls. Seep through the floors. Evaporate. For the first time since high school, she understood why Jack had always chosen invisibility as his superpower when they were picking powers as teens. She’d wanted to fly Santa’s sleigh, and deliver presents, but that would help her not at all right now.

“What are you doing here?” Jack asked.

Yeah, what was he doing here? She didn’t ask him to come. Didn’t want him to come. Had said the bare minimum, in fact. Had been intentionally succinct and to the point. She wouldn’t have contacted him at all if she’d found any information that might have been helpful to her cause without him. But she hadn’t, so she had made a sacrifice.

“Got a text from Mila,” Alec spoke, and she cringed.

“You did, did you?” Jack said in that annoying way of his. The way he did when he thought she liked someone and he was teasing her.

“Thought I’d better get back here and make sure you were all okay,” Alec said.

Someone cleared their throat. “Yeah, we’re all okay,” Freddie said.

She’d wring his neck. What happened to best friend solidarity? Did it even exist right now?

“Where’s Mila?” Alec asked.

Silence filled the room, and her heart raced. She couldn’t see Jack and Freddie, but she knew they’d pointed her out, betrayed her, the moment Alec’s boots made a sharp turn in her direction.

She sucked in a quiet gasp.

The man slowly rounded the table, then stopped directly across from her. He tapped a toe, then dropped to a squat. Impressive, given his bulky, tall frame, and came into full view.

She gasped a second time, but now for an entirely different reason.

Alec kept one hand on the table above him. His brown locks were wet, yet still neatly disheveled, and his crystal blue eyes twinkled, accentuated by the light blue shirt he wore under his leather jacket and gray hoodie. He cocked a brow, his right brow with the scar through it.

She shrank back.

He grinned his stupid sexy grin, the one that always drew her gaze to his lips. “Thomas,” he said by way of greeting. He often called her by just her last name.

She swallowed.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a slow, deliberate timbre that sent tingles up her spine.

That snapped her out of it. What was she doing? He had the nerve to ask her what she was doing? He’d up and left three months ago, she’d heard from him once, maybe twice after that, then he showed up unannounced and wanted to know what she was doing? She clenched her jaw and snatched up the last piece of paper she’d been reaching for.

“I’m working,” she snapped, then backed up on all fours. She went to stand and slammed her head into the underside of the table. She grabbed her head. “Ouch.”

Freddie was at her side in an instant. Hand on top of her hand on her head and his other hand under her arm to help her stand.

Jack was reaching across the table toward her, eyes wide. “You okay?”

She slapped at Freddie’s shoulder to get him to let go of her arm, and he dodged away from her, hands up. “Hey, just trying to help.”

Jack chuckled.

She glared. Yeah, trying to help make this situation even more embarrassing than it needed to be. They were so on Santa’s naughty list.

Alec stood again with impressive agility and grace for a man so tall and broad. She stared at his shoulders, impressed despite herself, then shook her head to clear it of the impertinent thought. Her head ached from where she’d hit it; shaking it made it worse, so she rubbed it.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Alec glanced at Jack and Freddie.

The men stared at Alec, at each other, then at her.

Jack said, “We’ll wait upstairs,” at the same time, Freddie said, “I’m out of here.” They turned and rushed the stairs, disappearing up them in as fast a walk as they could muster without actually running. She’d throttle them.

Alec leaned against the table, sexy smirk still in place. “Well, that wasn’t at all awkward.”

Preorder your copy today!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

How I Organize My Stories

So, I actually have a very detailed outlining process that starts with the seven point plot system that was adapted by Dan Wells.

Here's a graphic I found on Google images:





I combine these 7 points with K.M. Weiland's book on writing "Creating Character Arcs." Here's a link to her book: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Chara...

By using these two systems in tandem, I've been able to, for the most part, put out first drafts with very few story errors, such as plot holes, character inconsistencies, and more. In fact, my first drafts are so clean as far as story and character go, that I rarely have to make any major changes.

It's helped me to not only write my first drafts quickly, but also succinctly. Before I adopted these systems, I had been known to completely scrap a book, more than once even, and start over because my scripts were such a mess. Now I'm at the exact other end of the spectrum.

If you're looking for a way to speed up the writing process but also make your stories, cleaner and more concise, then you can't go wrong with these systems.

Snowed In at the Archive Book # 4 in the Snowed In for Christmas Clean Romance Series

I just sent my next book "Snowed In at the Archive" to my writing group and beta readers and I can't wait to get it back and get it all ready for my lovely readers.

This is the first time I've done an enemies to lovers trope, and it's been blast.

But, because I love a good mystery, it's also got a bunch of that in there. My writing group hasn't really seen anything like this from me before, so while I'm excited to read their thoughts, I'm also a little nervous. Haha!

The good news is that I have a pretty detailed outlining system, so I'm at least confident that they won't be finding a lot of plot holes or anything. Yay for outlines!

Here's what it's all about:

Getting snowed in is unfortunate. Getting snowed in with a guy who kissed you and walked away? Unbearable.

Property Attorney Mila Thomas will do anything to save three beloved buildings in her hometown—even ask Alec for help.

Agent Alec Delaney had no intention of coming back to Granite Springs, but when he realizes the danger Mila’s in, he had to come.

And . . . he wanted to come back. A kiss lingers between them—one he wouldn’t mind recreating. But Mila’s not going to let that happen.

Things between them grow complicated when they get snowed in together at an old church building that doubles as the county archive over Christmas.

With only 48 hours to find the information they need to save the buildings, snow piling up outside, untold dangers around every corner, and a buzzing attraction growing between them, Alec and Mila will need a Christmas miracle to get their happily ever.

An enemies to lovers Christmas romance that will leave you swooning for more mistletoe and holly.

I'm holding a giveaway event here on Goodreads for this book and will be giving away three eCopies and one $10 Amazon card. You can check out the event, here: https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

And if you'd like to preorder you copy of "Snowed In at the Archive" you can do so here: https://www.amazon.com/Snowed-Archive...