Kelly Oram's Blog, page 20

Today was a good day.

Good news! I don't have to chuck a brick through my computer and quit writing forever!

*Kelly takes a long deep Ryan-style yoga hippie breath and smiles at the feel of weight slipping off her shoulders*

Today was a good writing day. I've been love/hating this novel for months now. Yesterday, as I sat there staring at a blank page for over TWO HOURS and realized that I needed to change a major plot point (again!) that was going to require I scrap the last fifty pages I'd just written and start over, (for the 5th time!) I kid you not I almost scrapped the whole manuscript. There might have even been tears. I know there was hair loss.

BUT... (Yes, thank heavens there is a but, as you may have guessed from the title of this post.) Today was a good day! I sucked it up and made that change. True, it did require me to discard almost fifty pages but with my problem solved I escaped my blank page and wrote almost 4,000 words today. Not my all-time record by any stretch, but not too shabby either. And I'm so happy with the changes. Yes, I hate rewriting myself, but I love to watch a story improve. And now I'm not struggling with the problem I was, so it should be smooth sailing from here on out. (KNOCK ON WOOD!) Home stretch here I come!

Anyway, I feel so much better today than I did yesterday. I can love writing again. Also, I can love Ryan and Jamie again. Which is a good thing, because yesterday I didn't love them at all. Yesterday I hated them. But today I love them. And I love writing books. And I love Sour Patch Kids, and shall now go eat some. But I shall leave you with a few of today's 4,000 words. Because I am in a good mood.
 *rough draft... subject to change...typos... blah blah blah... you know the drill...

***

“Hey!” Teddy moaned and rubbed his jaw, but, really, it couldn’t have hurt that bad. Ryan’s punch hadn’t had a whole lot of force behind it considering he’d just been shot and all. “What was that for? She kissed me!”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to like it so much.”

I smiled and ran my fingers through Ryan’s now sweat-soaked hair. “Cut him some slack babe. You know how awesome my superkisses are. Remember how youreacted the first time you got one?”

“Excuse me," Ryan balked. "Who straddled who that day sunshine? I totally dominated that kiss and you know it.”

I snorted. “Sure you did. Which is why I started stalking you after that day?”

Ryan frowned at me and then glared again at Teddy for good measure. “Fine. But it’s definitely time for another trip to the cabin for a practice session. We’ve got to figure out a different way for you to transfer your power to people so you never have to do that again. From now on the only person getting superkisses is me. Got it?”

I grinned at my boyfriend then bent down to give him a quick kiss. “Promise.”



***


Ah, Ryan and Jamie. Good times. 
(At lest today. But then, there's always tomorrow... Wish me luck!)

Sequelphobia

se·quel·pho·bia noun \sē-kwəl-fō-bē-ə\An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to writing sequels.

It’s legit. I swear. And if it’s not, I’m coining the phrase right now because I totally suffer from it. Writing a sequel is an entirely different ball game. If this manuscript were a first book I’d have it done already. Instead I’m staring at draft five, ready to rip my hair out and strangle my characters. 

I thought it would be a lot easier. I’ve had this story completely plotted out for years, and I know my characters in and out. So why is Jamie 2 giving me so many problems? I think it's because I’m scared of letting people down.  

Writing used to be a lot simpler back in the days when the only person who read my stuff was me. It’s really stressful to know that there are people out there who are waiting to read this book. People who are anxious and excited for it. What if, after all that waiting, they don’t like it? I would feel terrible. Not just because people don’t like my book—people hate on my books all the time; that’s to be expected—but because I know how much I hate it when I’m disappointed in a book. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

I love Jamie and Ryan to bits and pieces, and I LOVE that other people love them as much as I do. I love that there are people out there who swoon over my characters the way I swoon over my favorite book characters. I can’t tell you how much it means to me when people write me asking about sequels.

Maybe my real problem is that I’ve never cared so much if my books turned out good as much as I do with this book. I want this book to be amazing. I want it to be everything that people are hoping for. I want to live up to all those expectations. I want my fans, who deserve the BEST because they are AWESOME, to get another book they can love as much as the first one.

No pressure, huh? It’s hard for me to separate Kelly the writer from Kelly the reader, and nobody is harder on second books than me. So, Kelly the writer is trying to finish this book and Kelly the reader is sitting here, reading over shoulder saying, “Nope. It’s not good enough. You can do better. Do it again." 

I am seriously stressing myself out.
Do I have issues? Yes. Yes I do. Right now I really do.
So…


e·piph·a·ny noun \ih-pif-uh-nee\   plural e·piph·a·nies.A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.


I have decided that my sequelphobia is a good thing. If I stress this much about this book and work this hard on it, then there’s no way it can totally suck by the time I’m finished. Right? Right. Draft five is definitely five times better than draft one anyway. Just think how good it could be by the time I'm on version five hundred. (Which at this rate, I will most certainly get to.) This book is going to ROCK. 

ANYWAY... 

Now that we've all experienced a little dose of Kelly's CRAZY... Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to me TOTALLY STOPMING my sequelphobia and writing a SERIOUSLY KICK BUTT sequel that is worthy of Jamie. She deserves awesomeness.

That is all. Now I'm off to feed Lucky Charms to my children for dinner because it's been a long week and I'm tired and my baby is sick and I don't want to cook.

Serial Hottie on sale for $.99!

Hey everyone! Serial Hottie is now available for only $.99! If you haven't read it yet, check it out for only a buck! Books for a buck are my favorite.

Merry Christmas!

Happy V Day!

V is for Virgin is finally here! Yay!  Happy Book Birthday V! So much to do, so much to read, so much to win! 

Chapter 1: "The Book"
When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.

After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.

As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?


Now Available @ Amazon & Barnesandnoble.com





Chapter 2: "The Tour"
The V is for Virgin Blog Tour kicks off today with these three fantastic blogs: 


I Am A Reader, Not A WriterBook Passion For LifeEmily's Crammed Bookshelf

Click the link below to see the entire tour line up, read a review, author interview, guest post, or book excerpt and enter a tour giveaway for your chance to win a $30 amazon gift card or paypal cash! (open Intl. I support the buying of ebooks!)

Thank you to Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting me!


Chapter 3: "The Game"

In the book Val uses letters of the alphabet as her slogans. Obviously, V is for Virgin, but there are others. A is for Abstinence, S is for Sex, F is for Families, H is for Hypocrite and P is for President. As part of my V-Day Celebration, I thought it would be fun to make a game out of it. So...Play The ABC's of V is for Virgin and enter to win one of twenty autographed V is for Virgin bookmarks. (open Intl.)
To play/enter to win just tweet your own letter about V...  For instance, A is for Awesome. K is for Kyle. S is for swoon. T is for Tralse... you get the picture... 
Enter as many times as you'd like using as many different letters of the alphabet as you'd like. Game open internationally and ends when the blog tour ends January 2nd. Have fun, be creative and make sure you use the hashtag #VisforVirgin and @kellyoram so that I can find you! 

Chapter 4: "The Giveaway"
So, aside from the $30 amazon gift card/pay pal cash blog tour giveaway and the ABC's of V autographed bookmarks game/giveaway I've added my own giveaway on this blog as well. In the book Val loves jewelry. She wears her own "V" necklace like you see on the cover and then she makes "V" jewelry as part of her V is for Virgin campaign. So, in the spirit of "V Day" Enter to win your very own "Virgin Val" original keychain. (Handcrafted by yours truly.) I'll try to get a picture posted by the end of the day. Again, this giveaway is open internationally and ends when the blog tour ends January 2nd.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you've made it all the way to the end of this blog, the you are awesome! Thanks for stopping by, and Happy V Day!

Chameleon cover & excerpt!

It's finally here! Yay! It's so dark and mysterious compared to the light and bubbly goodness of V. (I'm a little bi-polar with my writing.) Anyway, I am so excited for this book, you guys don't understand. I am such a supernatural/fantasy geek and have had so much fun with this series.

The book has an official release date now too. Only seven months away! It will be available June 25, 2013. Here's the cover, and just to give you guys a little hint of what to expect I'll add a short excerpt. Fair warning. This hasn't been through its final edit so it's subject to change and liable to have a typo or two...

Enjoy!






































“This…” Russ put his fingertips on my cheek and dragged them down my neck, then brushed them back and forth along the length of my collarbone. It was too much to handle. My breath caught in my lungs and I started to tremble. “The chance to touch you like this,” Russ said. “In a way that could never be mistaken for friendship, it’s all I ever think about anymore.”

A loud, slow clap startled both Russ and me from the trance we’d fallen into.

Standing twenty feet away on the edge of the lake was a tall man with sun-kissed skin and shaggy brown hair that fell in his eyes and curled out behind his ears. He looked about twenty-five and had arms that bulged out from the sleeves of his t-shirt. I had no doubt he could bench-press like five of me. He was good-looking, but he was a stranger. Which, in our quiet little town that was so far off the beaten path people only came here when they had a really good reason to, was highly unusual.

“Now that was a line,” he said with amusement. “Seriously, I’m going to have to use that sometime.”

“Yeah, and until you showed up the line was working,” Russ called out in a voice full of false friendliness. “So, uh, show a little decency and find somewhere else to be.”

The stranger laughed. “I like you. You remind me of myself. If I were you I’d give the girl a kiss while you have the chance.”

When Russ’s muscles tightened I gently put my hand on his arm. “Be careful. There’s something about him. I can feel him like I feel you and your dad.”

Russ glanced at me. “He’s a supernatural?” he whispered back. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be.”

I looked back at the stranger. It didn’t look like he was in a hurry to follow Russ’s advice to get lost. He walked over to the pile of clothes Russ and I had left on the shore and picked up my shirt.

“This is a nice color for you, Danielle. I like it when girls aren’t afraid to wear a little color. Why don’t you come out of there and let me see how it looks on. I assume you’ll want to be dressed for our journey.”

Russ pushed me behind him. “And just what journey are you talking about?” he asked while I had another question.

“How do you know my name?”

“You’d better get used to that, Dani. Pretty soon every supernatural in the world will know your name. News travels fast, and the rumors about you, well, let’s just say you’re a bit of a celebrity. That’s why I’m here. I’ve come to fetch you for my boss. He’s very interested in meeting the one who’s supposed to fulfill the prophecy.”

To my surprise Russ let out a gasp and looked at me with wide eyes.

“That’s right,” the stranger said to Russ. “The Seer has predicted it. No doubt the council is already on their way to steal and corrupt her for their own purpose. My job was to get here before they do.”

Prophecy? Seer? Council? This entire conversation was over my head. “What’s he talking about?” I asked Russ, but he ignored me. His attention was fixed on the stranger.

“Looks like he’s on steroids and likes to play fetch for his master? Must be a werewolf.” When the stranger grinned proudly Russ matched his smirk. “That explains the smell.”

“Just as your magic explains your misguided sense of superiority young master warlock.”

“You’re not taking her anywhere.”

“Danielle.” The werewolf addressed me suddenly. “Your boy toy here is overconfident. I’m a full-grown werewolf—second in command of my pack, and a trained worrier. A few beginner knockback spells from a young warlock-in-training won’t be any match for me. Come with me now and there doesn’t have to be a fight, but if he tries anything I will kill him.”

I didn’t have to think about his request. His threat was obviously real so I headed for the shore before Russ could stop me.

“Smart girl,” the werewolf said tossing me my shirt.




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New Ryan Miller POV

I was looking for some misplaced Jamie 2 notes, (I've had toddlers helpfully rearranging my files.) and I came across an extra scene I wrote a while back when I was trying to get back into my character's heads before starting to write the sequel. This is the scene where Ryan and Jamie work out together. It's told from Ryan's point of view. It was just sitting there all lonely and forgotten about so I figured why not post it?

Enjoy! Also, I've added the 2 Ryan Miller bonus scenes from the 2nd edition ebook onto the extra's page. If you haven't read those yet, go check them out!


*********
"Working Out" from Ryan's POV
My date with Jamie was amazing, but it was so G rated that I’d been a flustered mess all week. How I managed to get through that night without laying a single finger on her was nothing short of a miracle. There was no way I’d be able to do it again. I didn’t want to.
I was ready to push Jamie in a more physical direction so I suggested we work out together. At the time I thought it was brilliant because I could still use the pretense of practice, but we’d both be wearing less and our adrenaline would be up.
I hadn’t had the chance to take my shirt off for Jamie yet. Not that I’m as ripped as Ryan Reynolds exactly, but I’m not dumb. Girls act differently around me when I’m at the pool or out on the lake. It’s like I turn them primal. I wanted to turn Jamie primal.
My plan totally backfired.
There was definitely an overabundance of hormones present this afternoon, but they were all mine. Jamie is beyond hot even on her bad days, and I knew she’d look good working up a sweat. Still, I was not prepared for the sheer sexiness that is Jamie Baker working out.
Jamie is always put together. Her hair and makeup are always perfect. Her clothes are always stylish. She’s gorgeous. But when I’d picked her up this morning and found her makeup-less with her hair thrown up in a simple ponytail, wearing nothing but a sport-tank and tiny workout shorts, gorgeous wasn’t the right word to describe her. She looked so freaking hot I nearly had an aneurysm and she hadn’t even started her workout yet.
When we finally got to the exercising, I couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that in order for Jamie to actually put some strain on her muscles she had to bench my truck. Seriously. My F250. Nearly 6,000 lbs of machine and she just lifted it above her head over and over again. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.
Then she started breaking a sweat. Needless to say I forgot about her superpowers. The only thing I could think about was getting all worked up and sweaty with her. Feeling the hardness of her muscles beneath all that soft skin. Tasting salty kisses. Feeling heat rising between our bodies, our breaths coming fast…
Um, yeah…
“You know? I think you were right. Making you work out was a really bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Aside from the fact that the F-250 you’re pumping is making me feel extremely inadequate, I’m afraid that if you don’t stop doing that, you’re going to end up throwing it at me.”
Jamie looked at the vehicle above her. “Why would I throw a truck at you?
More images flashed through my mind. Definitely not G rated. “Because you usually get cranky when I try to kiss you, and if you don’t stop looking so downright sexy, I’m going to have to do just that.” And then some…
Jamie took a slow concentrated breath and the truck rose again. The muscles in her stomach tightened. A drop of sweat that had pooled in her naval rolled down the side of her ribs.
I took a much needed deep breath. Baseball… Frogs… Snowstorms… My grandma…
“I’ve never seen you break a sweat before. It’s got my mind in the gutter big-time.”
“Quit objectifying me right now, or I will throw this truck at you!”
Man, she’s hot when she’s pissed.
“Go take a cold shower or something while I finish.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” I said. “Why don’t you call it quits and come in the hot tub with me.”
Definitely a better idea. 
“Oh yeah, that’s a brilliant idea. Why don’t you just take a soak with a blow dryer?”
Geez. She may have had a point there, but there was no need to be so hostile. I hoped it was because she was just as frustrated as me. I doubted it though. I’d been drooling over her for the last half an hour and she’d been so focused it was like I wasn’t even there.
I abandoned my weight bench for the patio swing and closed my eyes as I chugged a bottle of water.
I had to get myself under control or I was going to get really cranky. That couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let the Ice Queen get to me. Ever. That was the one thing I had over everyone else. Jamie could push people away in her sleep, but no matter how hard she tried she was not going to scare me off.
Jamie’s voice startled me out of my brooding. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“A really quiet humming noise. I can’t exactly place it, but I’ve never heard it out here before.”
I listened, but all I heard was nature. “It’s probably just a boat down on the lake.”
Jamie abandoned her workout. I couldn’t tell if I was disappointed by that or relieved.
She climbed out from under my truck and pointed toward the forest. “The lake is behind the house—this noise was coming from out there.” She scanned the trees and then frowned. “Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me. I tend to get a little paranoid when I’m doing things like lifting trucks out in the open.”
I sighed. Here I was stuck in the hottest fantasies about her and she was just worried that someone was watching her. So much for things getting physical between us. The only person I’d managed to turn primal today was me. Lame.
I sat up, disappointed, but then Jamie came to sit next to me on the swing. I took a chance and put my arm around her. I could have done a happy dance when she didn’t shrug me off. It was enough to perk my mood back up.
“All right then,” I said, feeling like my patience had been renewed. Is it sad that one arm over her shoulder felt like a magnanimous victory? “Why don’t we work on something a little more subtle if you’re worried? How about your hearing? I’ll start singing, and you go for a jog. Call me when you can’t hear me anymore. That’s not so obvious as bench-pressing my truck.”
I gave her a light squeeze—totally just friendly—but for some reason it was the absolute wrong move. “I don’t feel like practicing anymore today,” she said sadly.
I didn’t get it. What had I done now? I swear sometimes it’s like Jamie’s bi-polar. I never have a clue what’s running through her head. I wonder if crazy mood swings are considered a superpower.
Seeing Jamie upset kills me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be her. She’s been through so much, and I know she feels like she’s alone in this but she’s wrong. She might be the only one with superpowers, but I was there now, and I was going to get through this with her. Whether she wanted me to or not.
“All right,” I said, forcing cheer into my voice that I didn’t feel.
I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and make her tell me what was wrong so that I could help her feel better. But the more I push her the more she closes off from me, so, as impossible as felt, all I could do was be patient and wait for her to let me in.
“It’s lunch time anyway,” I said, “and I’ve officially worked up an appetite.”
Jamie jumped on that idea, happy to avoid telling me what was up. “You like New York-style pizza?” she asked.
She had my attention now. If I wasn’t going to get a hot makeout session, pizza was better than nothing. “I’m a guy. I love all forms of pizza.”
“Well I happen to know where to find the best pizza in the country, so why don’t you point me in the direction of a bathroom, and once I’m all cleaned up I’ll run get us lunch.”
Now that would just be a shame. “Aw come on Baker, I’m digging that post-workout look.”
She rolled her eyes at my flirting. Rolled her eyes. Was I evergoing to get to kiss that girl again?
“More like post-workout stink,” she said. “Don’t forget I have a heightened sense of smell.”
“Gross.” Mood officially dead. Way to go, Jamie.

V is for Virgin arcs & Blog Tour

Hey everyone!!!

First of all I want to say a big heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the bloggers out there! I have had an overwhelming response to my plea for reviews for V is for Virgin! You guys are awesome, and I hope those of you who ended up with arcs enjoy it! December should be exciting.

Anyway, I've has so many requests for arcs that I'm having to cut them off now. I'm not sending out any more unless it's to bloggers who are a part of the official blog tour. If you missed it, sorry! But, really, December 11th isn't that far away, right?

And now for the exciting news. The lovely Inspired Kathy over at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, is so graciously hosting the official V is for Virgin Blog Tour! Yay!! Thank you Kathy! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, be sure you do! She's one of my favorites.

If you'd like to be part of the V is for Virgin Blog Tour there may still be spots left. Stop by the OFFICIAL TOUR PAGE and I believe there is a form you can fill out requesting a spot.


Thanks again to everyone for all the V love!!! I'm so excited for this book release!

Ready, set, look at me go!

That's right, it's officially November again! So, this was the scene around my house today...


√ Junk food√ caffeine√ kids Halloween candy stash√ outline√ notes√ lucky nano socks√ snuggie (that's right, I rock the snuggie on a regular basis.)√ daily word count. (2,000 and counting!) 
Day One of NaNoWriMo complete! 
Wish me luck for the next 29, and I'll see you in December!

This Year's NaNo project: More Than Jamie Baker
Jamie Baker, the only girl in the world with superpowers, has now accepted who she is and learned to control her power. Not to mention she has the best boyfriend on the planet. Life is finally looking good. But the day she witnesses an accident and decides not to save the guy out of fear of being exposed, she realizes that simply being Jamie Baker isn't enough.After seeing Jamie so wrecked with guilt, the ever-helpful Ryan Miller decides it's time to make all of his fantasies about turning his girlfriend into an honest-to-goodness superhero become a reality.Of course, coming up with a decent Super Name and fending off all of Ryan's attempts to get her into spandex aren't the only problems Jamie faces. The more her alter ego starts to make headlines, the harder it becomes for Jamie to hide her extracurricular activities from her best friend, the government, radical scientists, and the mysterious new hot guy who is determined to steal her from her boyfriend.


Track my progress throughout the month...http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/mskelly

e-mails

Apparently my e-mail form on my contact me page hasn't been working properly. I've gotten rid of it and just provided an email address where I can be reached. As of right now I have replied to every e-mail I've received. If you've tried to contact me and haven't heard back yet, you may want to try again. I apologize for the mix up!

V is for Virgin ARCs

Just wanted to quickly let you know that advanced reader copies for V is For Virgin will finally be available this week. If you are a book blogger interested in receiving a free copy for review on your blog just let me know either by leaving a comment here or through my contact me form on my blog.

Just leave a link to your blog, an email address where I can contact you, and please specify which type of format you need. (.mobi, .epub, .pdf)

**Please remember that V is for Virgin is an EBOOK, therefore arcs are only available in EBOOK formats.**

Thank you!