Alicia Justice's Blog, page 4

It’s Title Reveal Time!

I am so excited about today’s post, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. How is everyone doing? May was a bit of a rough month for me, but I’m hoping June will be amazing and I’ll be able to get everything I have planned accomplished. The first of which is the title reveal for Project Beacon! Which is what we’re here to do today! So instead of drawing out this post, I’m going to keep it short and sweet and reveal the title right away.

Are you ready?

The title for Project Beacon is….

 

 

 

I am so excited about this book and its characters! I know I’ve said that about a million times, but it’s true. Right now I’m in the middle of edits for Beacon in the Darkness (Feels good to type the title) and I’m hoping (cross your fingers for me) that I’ll have it ready for my editor by the end of July! That means it could remember I said could, be ready to go to ebook by the end of August or early September!

I have a few more surprises about this one and what the series will entail coming very soon.

So, what do you think about the title? Let me know in the comments.

 

Ask Me Anything: Best and Worst Advice Ever Given

Happy Friday everyone!

I have to say, I’m rather enjoying these blog posts and seeing all the questions I’m getting when I post the Ask Me Anything’s over on my Instagram and my Facebook Group. This week I got a few pretty interesting questions and trust me I wrote them all down to answer at a later time, but one really stuck out to me and I knew that was the one I was going to answer this month.

This month’s question came from just_another_eva over on Instagram. Thank you for this question Eva.

 

What is the best/worst advice you’ve been given?

I think the best advice I was given regarding my author career was something I have written on my whiteboard of quotes. It’s advice I look at every single day. It says: There is no deadline on your success! The amazing Sarra Cannon said this during one of the courses I took and it stuck with me. There is no deadline on your success! Let that sink in for a few minutes. There are times when we feel so behind, but what is behind honestly when you remember there is no deadline on your success? There is also no age limit either, which makes the statement even better.

Now let’s talk about the worst piece of advice I was given. I was once told, at a writing conference that to be a good writer you have to practice every single day. I don’t feel this is true. Writing every single day can in the long run burn you out. I think we should practice our chosen profession daily but as an author/writer, I don’t think we should write every day. There are other things we can do to get better at our craft. Reading is one of those, so I try to read every day for at least thirty minutes. Writing this blog post to me counts as writing to get better at my craft. Writing every single day though is hard to keep up with.

So there you have it, the best and worst advice I’ve ever been given as an author.

Now it’s your turn, what is the best/worst advice you’ve been given? It doesn’t mean as an author or writer, just in general.

 

 

Author Update: April and Q2 Goals!

Wow, the first quarter of the year has already come and gone. I’m a little blown away by how fast it went. Honestly, the first three months of this year have been great for me. I released the paperback of Third to Come Home, finished writing the first draft of Project Beacon, got First to Fight into Barnes and Noble, and had my new critique partner read through it. It’s been a busy but great first quarter, I just hope the next one will be as good.

I have some big plans for this quarter, so I’m going to jump right into letting you know the plans. I pretty much already shared with you the highlights of Q1, so I’m just going to jump into my plans for Q2 and April.

Quarter Two Goals

During this quarter I plan to have a few things completed and a few others started. So, let’s take a look at my plans. Remember these are the plans, sometimes plans don’t always work out.

To have the revisions of Project Beacon completed and in the hands of my beta readers.To have a cover reveal and title reveal for Project BeaconTo have Say You Will ready for the publisher and sent to them to get formatted.To have both Second to Fall and Third to Come Home into Barnes and Noble and hopefully have my first signing.To have Project Romance’s first draft almost completed and ready to hand off to my CP.I plan to start plotting the fourth book in the First to Fight series.Get back into streamingNew morning routine in place and workingRead at least 10 books!Keep my Reading Journal updatedContinue to write in my journal daily

 

April Plans

Now some of the above list will be completed in April, at least I hope so.  There’s a lot on my list for this quarter, but I planned out a very busy year for myself and so far everything is falling into place. The domino effect I explained in an earlier post, is working for me. Though I will say I’m a tiny bit, two weeks, behind on completing one project, I did give myself enough time to complete it. So I think it will be okay.  Anyway, Here are my plans for April!

 

Complete Say You Will’s First Draft and get it to my CP! (Main Goal for April)Start revising Project Beacon (2nd Main Goal for April)Read at least 3 booksGet Second to Fall into B&NWrite/Post at least 2 blog posts and send out 2 NewslettersBuild up my newsletter listPromote Beyond Courage every week!Post on my social media at least 15 times a week.Open beta reader list!

 

So there you have it, my plans for Q2 and my April plans/tasks as well. So much to do and never enough time, something I say all of the time, but honestly, I do enjoy being busy. It’s just who I am!

 

Don’t Forget

 

For those that haven’t done so already, sign up for my newsletter, it’s where I release all my cover reveals and behind-the-scenes information anywhere else. You also get a free copy of First to Fight just for signing up!  I also share glimpses of my projects there that I don’t post anywhere else.

 

Why I Chose to Write a Why Choose for Beyond Courage

So honestly there is only one main reason why I chose to write a Why Choose instead of a regular military romance of two people for Beyond Courage. That reason is simple, I wanted to try something a bit different. Why choose isn’t easy to write and I wanted something that would make me push myself writing wise. I’ve been reading a lot of Why Choose lately and thought it would be fun to write one. It’s really that simple.

Now, writing the Why Choose story for Beyond Courage, which is titled Say You Will, hasn’t been simple, not at all. Trying to figure out how to handle a sex scene with four guys and one girl isn’t simple at all. That’s seriously ten legs and ten arms and all kinds of body parts to figure out.  Though I will say this, it has been fun to figure those things out and it has pushed my writing a bit as well. Which for me as an author is always the goal with each of my books.

I will let you in on a little secret, I do have plans for Say You Will later on, and that plan is to possibly add more to it later. The version in the Beyond Courage anthology will only be around 55k words. You all know that I’m not an author who keeps her books on the shorter side when it comes to word count.  So I’ll more than likely have to cut some words for now and you know what that means for later.

You will, however, get the happily ever after at the end of the short version. I love this story and these characters so much so far. I still have ten more chapters to write as of today. I can’t wait for you to meet these guys and our main female character as well and to figure out how I handled all those body parts .

 

Make sure you preorder your copy of Beyond Courage today! It’s on sale, but just a heads up, it won’t be .99 cents long after it’s published so make sure you grab it for that price ASAP!

 

Ask Me Anything…

Happy Saturday!

Normally, I don’t post two blog posts in a week unless it’s a writing event or release week, but this week I have something different to share with all of you. A few weeks back, I posted an Ask Me Anything type of post on my social media and told everyone I would answer the questions here on my blog. I plan to start posting these at least once a month. So if you have a question you would like to ask me about my author life, writing, plotting, reading, or anything that pertains to my life as an author. Feel free to watch for another post on my social media asking for questions. Or you can leave a comment below and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.

This week’s question comes from my Facebook group and it’s one that I thought would be a great question to answer first. The question was sent in by a good friend of mine named Joelyn, and I’m excited to answer it. She asked if I had always wanted to be an author. See what I mean by the perfect way to start these Q&A posts. Anyway, there is a long version answer to this question and a short answer. The short answer is: Yes I’ve always wanted to be an author.

Now the long version is a bit more complicated. When I was younger I was an avid reader, I loved books and I loved thinking of my own stories I could write. I enjoyed writing the ideas down and trying to figure out a way to get the main character from A to B in the story. Now keep in mind that I have dyslexia, so in the back of my mind even as a teenager, I thought there was no way I would be able to be a published author. So I let that dream fade away, like any other dream you have when you’re a kid. You know the ones like becoming a Princess or the President of the United States.

I had this one teacher who really believed in me when I was a kid and tried her best to tell me that I could do and be anything I wanted. Her name at the time was Mrs Bowmen (I’m not sure what her name is now), and she was an amazing teacher. She helped me learn how to read even with the problems I had. She made me believe in myself. Now when I got to high school I had a teacher who made me give up on the dream once more, but we don’t need to get into that one. When I got to be an adult, I was still reading like crazy and ended up writing fan fiction, and that brought the joy of writing and creating back to me. It also let me escape a lot of the bad things in my life. (Again we aren’t going to get into that one either.) This is where I started to believe in myself again and my writing. I found amazing writer friends who cheered me on. They introduced me to NaNoWriMo and that’s where I wrote First to Fight.

Now it took me six years to take that step and publish it, but again that’s a different story, one filled with once again self-doubt.

I hope that you, my amazing reader who is reading this post, remember that it’s okay to take big chances. Even if you fail, it’s okay, you just get back up and try again. We first have to believe in ourselves and we honestly need others around us that will cheer us on. (If you need someone like that, message me, and I’ll cheer you on the whole way!)

So there you have it, the long version of if I always wanted to be an author. Joelyn, I hope that answered your question.

Remember, if you have a question for me, please leave it in the comments below. I’ll try to answer at least one to two questions each post. I hope you all have a great weekend! I’ll be spending mine writing. (Of course, this author is a bit behind on her writing schedule. Got to catch up this weekend.)

Author Life Update: March Goals and More!

How’s March going for everyone so far?

For me, it’s been a bit hectic and fast-paced. I’m in the middle of still promoting Beyond Courage’s cover reveal and preorder, working on getting the First to Fight series into Barnes and Noble, finishing the first draft of Say You Will, and getting ready to start revisions of Project Beacon. There is so much to do! It’s a good thing I enjoy being busy.

That’s the main reason this post was pushed back until today. I usually do my monthly goals/plans post the first week of the month, but Beyond Courage’s cover reveal had to be posted first. So let’s get to it today. Below I’m going to take a look at Feb and see if I reached any of my goals for last month. Remember anything that wasn’t completed will be moved to this month. You’ll also see my March goals and plans. Let’s get to it!

February Recap

In February I had plans to get First to Fight and Second to Fall into B&N, that didn’t happen, but I’m already working on it now. So they soon will be available through B&N! I’m so excited about this. I also wanted to get Third to Come Home into print through Amazon, it’s scheduled for the end of this month, so at least it’s pretty much ready to go. I did complete the whole stream every week goal! I think I only missed one week and that was due to not feeling well enough to be on chatting live. My voice was pretty much gone. I also got through most of the Publish and Thrive course again and I love that course so much. There are things that I didn’t see the first time I went through that I realized this time.

My critique partner and I did get through Project Beacon and I helped them get through their project as well. We got through these projects rather quickly, which was amazing! My other goal was to send out at least two newsletters, and that one was accomplished as well.

All in all, February was a great and busy month for me. I’m pretty sure March is going to be the same.

 

March Goals

Alright, with all I completed last month, it’s time to check and see what my plans are for March. As I said above this is going to be an even busier month for me.

Get First to Fight and Second to Fall into Barnes and Noble.Third to Come Home into print through both Amazon and B&NStream at least once a weekFinish the first draft of Say You Will and get it to my CP.Start revisions of Project BeaconStart plotting Project SurviveGet the newsletter’s onboarding set up and the way I want it.Get Promotions set up for my assistant to handlePlan Q2 and go through the HB90 Course again.Read through Newsletter Ninja 1 and 2.

 

Send out at least 3 newsletters. Alright, there you have it, my busy month and goals for March. Hopefully, I can mark off a good chunk of these items on my list by the last day of March. Cross your fingers for me, please. Send me all the good vibes or something, I’m gonna need it.

I hope you all have a great month! If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, make sure you do. Right now you’ll get a free copy of First to Fight if you do. The freebie will change more than likely by next month.  Let me know your March goals in the comments, I would love to hear from you!

 

Don’t forget that Beyond Courage is available for pre-order right now. I have a short story in this one and I can’t wait for you all to read it. It’s only .99 cents right now, but the price will go up once it’s published! So this is the perfect time to grab your copy for .99 cents! CLICK HERE to Preorder your copy today!

Don’t miss electrifying romance and captivating suspense in this limited-release collection. Beyond Courage will immerse you in the lives of active-duty personnel and seasoned veterans as they balance duty and the pursuit of love. Pre-order now and get ready for passion that will set your soul ablaze.

Blurb: Where love rewrites the rules of engagement…

Get ready to fall in love with the heroes and heroines who’ve made the ultimate commitment—to both their country and each other. Beyond Courage is an electrifying anthology that will have you surrendering to the irresistible allure of military romance.

Experience the magnetic pull between soldiers, veterans, and the lovers who cherish them. Feel the intensity of their love forged in the crucible of duty and honor. Dive into a world where passion burns hotter than the desert sun and love conquers all.

From the front lines to the home front, these stories will transport you to a world of courage, sacrifice, and undying devotion. Beyond Courage isn’t just an anthology; it’s a journey through the hearts of those who serve and protect.

Don’t miss your chance to stand at attention for these unforgettable characters. Order your copy today and be swept away by the passion and patriotism that defines their love.

 

 

A Cover Reveal and a Secret Revealed

Are you ready to hear a secret?

One I’ve been keeping for several months…

I have a short story that’s going to be part of an anthology, one that will connect to the First to Fight series! My story in the anthology is the project I’ve been working on that I was calling Project Say, the actual title is Say You Will. Say You Will isn’t just a normal romance story though, let’s just say it’s more than just a couple. There will be a few more arms and legs to tangle.

I am so excited to finally be able to tell everyone about this new book and of course, share the cover reveal for the anthology! Speaking of the cover reveal….(Drumroll inserted here )

 

So what do you think?

Each story in this anthology will revolve around the military, it can be military men and women in nonactive duty status or still active duty. Each story will also include lots of steamy romance!

Blurb:

Where love rewrites the rules of engagement…

Get ready to fall in love with the heroes and heroines who’ve made the ultimate commitment—to both their country and each other. Beyond Courage is an electrifying anthology that will have you surrendering to the irresistible allure of military romance.

Experience the magnetic pull between soldiers, veterans, and the lovers who cherish them. Feel the intensity of their love forged in the crucible of duty and honor. Dive into a world where passion burns hotter than the desert sun and love conquers all.

From the front lines to the home front, these stories will transport you to a world of courage, sacrifice, and undying devotion. Beyond Courage isn’t just an anthology; it’s a journey through the hearts of those who serve and protect.

Don’t miss your chance to stand at attention for these unforgettable characters. Order your copy today and be swept away by the passion and patriotism that defines their love.

 

Make sure you pre-order your copy today. The price right now is .99 cents! The price will go up once it’s published, so make sure you grab your copy now! CLICK HERE

 

 

Happy Valentine’s Day! Third to Come Home is Free Until the 17th!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

This is just a quick pop-in blog post to let everyone know that Third to Come Home’s ebook will be FREE starting today and will be free until Saturday the 17th.  I just wanted to give all my amazing readers a little something for Valentine’s Day! Hope you all enjoy it and have a wonderful day. CLICK HERE to grab your copy today!

 

 

Read the Third to Come Home if you like:

Sexy Marines

Romantic suspense novels

Twists and Turns that you won’t see coming

Family secrets 

Firefighters…yep that’s a new one! 

K-Pop playlist! 

Did I mention the sexy Marines?… Yes? Okay, I’m just going to say it again then. SEXY MARINES!!!

As a non-active-duty Marine, Kevin Porter is trying to figure out his next step in life. The constant barrage of questions from his family isn’t helping matters. On a whim, he signs up for the Firefighter Academy.

That’s when fate steps in.

At a neighborhood bookshop, he meets the beautiful Adelaide, who wins his heart before he even sees her face. But Addy is enduring obstacles all her own. A mysterious woman keeps visiting the shop, whispering secrets about Adelaide’s family and hinting that her entire life is a lie.

Addy takes Kevin with her to Romania to uncover the truth. Yet things take a deadly turn when Addy is abducted. The Romanian mafia wants to use her as a pawn against her family. Little do they know, Kevin is calling in his Marine squadron, Kevin will stop at nothing to get her back. Can they make it back to the States alive? Or will Addy be the one to pay for her family’s past sins?

This military romantic suspense meets mafia romance is filled with sexy marines, a loving family dynamic, and a beautiful book-loving powerhouse of a female character, who discovers her past isn’t what she thought it was and that families keep secrets.  There is no cheating and you will get that happy ever after. (Can be read as a standalone, but it’s better to read books 1 and 2 of the First to Fight series first.)

 

 

Hello February… How Did That Happen?

It’s February, seriously how did that happen? It feels like there should be at least two more weeks of January left. I guess I’ll just add the things I didn’t finish in January to my list for FebruraryAnyway, since it’s the start of the month, it’s time to go over my goals for the month. So let’s do this.

January Recap

Like I said above, Jan went by way too fast, I still have things on my list that need to be finished, but here’s a recap of what I did and some great things that happened in Jan 2024!

Let’s start with the wins of Jan. I finished writing Project Beacon’s first draft and it’s currently with my new critique partner. Speaking of my new CP, I have one now and I’m so excited about that. They’re amazing and it’s so much fun working with them. I also, got back into streaming on Twitch, with some tech difficulties this past week, but at least we’re trying.

The rest of the goals I had set for January, ended up not happening, but January was a great month, even if it did go by really quickly.

February 2024 Goals and Writing Plans

Alright, let’s get into February’s goals and plans. The items I’m moving from my Jan. list to my February list will be at the top.

Get First to Fight and Second to Fall set up and into Barnes and Noble.
Work on getting the store set up here on my website 
Third to Come Home in Print (Just waiting on the wrap/cover right now and it will be done!) 
Stream at least once a week until I get used to it again. 
Retake Publish and Thrive Course. 
Work on Project Beacon with my CP as well as go through their project and help them. 
Finish Act 1 and Act 2 of Project Say
Create at least one to two reels a week for social media 
Make sure at least 2 newsletters go out this month 
Update all backmatter for books 1 and 2

Alright, here’s my list for February, it’s a hefty one but I want to get these items checked off my list for the year and quarter. Some of these items are things I want to work to get better at, my newsletter being one of those things.

I hope you all have a great month and make sure you check back and see if I can get at least most of these items off my list. Happy writing and reading! 

Author Update: I Have A New Critique Partner!

I can’t believe it’s the end of January already, where did this month go? Anyway, I have some amazing news and honestly, this blog post will probably be short because I’m too excited and had to share this tidbit of news with all of you! I was going to wait and add it to the bottom of Friday’s post, but this one deserves its own post.

I have found a critique partner and am so excited to share that we will be working together on the projects that are in the works. She currently has chapters of Project Beacon and I have chapters of her project as well. I am super excited to find someone who not only gets me but is excited to work together. Which is hard to find. Finding that person who can work well with you and take the feedback well is something that I’ve been searching for some time now. Luckily, I found the perfect person and I already love working with them.

If you would like to know more about my projects, my author life, or anything about my writing, please head over and follow me on Instagram. I post there daily at least one to two times a day and even more in my stories. Also, real quick, I’m trying to get back to streaming over on Twitch, so if you would like to jump over there and follow, that would be greatly appreciated. I mainly stream writing streams, but I’m toying with the idea of some gaming streams as well soon.

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know my good news and I hope you’re all having a great week. It’s already Wednesday, I swear time goes by so fast these days.