Liz DeJesus's Blog, page 21

Determination

I guess you could also call it being a persistent pain in the ass. But hey, at least I get things done. I feel like telling the story of how I ended up having a book tour.

So last year I decided that I was going to call up a few stores and set up a few book signings to promote First Frost. But seeing as it wasn't in print at the time the only way I could get my foot in the door was to use The Jackets (which is in print) as a way to get inside brick and mortar stores and use First Frost bookmarks to let people know that the book existed as an ebook. It wasn't the best plan but at least I had one. Anyway I cold called a few local bookstores and was met with little enthusiasm. B & N on 202 didn't want anything to do with me (for reasons unbeknownst to yours truly) and a small indie store in Wilmington basically hung up on me while I was still asking questions.

I'm a spicy Puerto Rican woman. My accent may be gone but that temper is still very much ALIVE and WELL. I got pissed. And one of the things my father taught me was to never, ever give up. It's one of the few things that I've actually taken to heart and put into practice often. My father also told me that when someone closes a door, God will open another one for you. I have since added a little something to that phrase. If there are no doors, then find a wall and kick it until you have a hole in the wall. So sometimes you'll find me creating doors where there are none. ;-)

Lucky for me, I know how to use the internet. So I got on indiebound.com and found a treasure trove of bookstores that I had never even heard of. And while Mason was in school and Peter was taking a nap...I called all of them. LOL God. I was just so mad at those other two bookstores for not taking me seriously that I spent an entire week calling every store on my list and scheduling book signings. Here's the thing that actually surprised me. Everyone else I spoke to was so kind to me which has made this whole thing worthwhile.

Sometimes people don't like it when you're persistent. I had to call, email some people just to get a 'yes' or a 'no' and when they said 'no' it was fine with me. At least I got an answer. At least they didn't hang up on me. But the lesson here is that if you have a dream, if you want something badly enough, you seriously have got to work for it. Sometimes it takes a lot of HARD work, because no one is going to do it for you.

Fairy Tale Friday

On today's edition of Fairy Tale Friday I'm going to talk about Beauty and the Beast. Everyone knows this story. You'd have to have lived under a rock or something if you don't know the tale of Beauty and the Beast. Every time it sort of starts the same way, Beauty is a nice girl that asks for her father for a single rose when he returns from his travels (more often than not he's a merchant). Sometimes she has sisters sometimes she's an only child. And then her father gets lost on his way home and finds the Beast's chateau (this is a French fairy tale) and he's allowed to go anywhere and touch anything except the Beast's rose garden. But Beauty's father takes a rose anyway because it's the only thing his daughter asked for him to bring her (kinda makes you wonder what part of DON'T TOUCH HIS GARDEN didn't he understand) and the Beast is upset over it.

And in some stories Beauty's father is told that he has to give up the first thing he sees when he returns home. He agrees to it because he knows that the first thing that will greet him is his dog...but when he comes back home Beauty is the one to greet him first. PLOT TWIST! :D

And you all know what happens next. LOL I also LOVED the Disney version as a child. I loved the library. I was going to marry the Beast for that library.

Anyway here's the version I got from wikipedia, which will probably explain it a lot better than I ever will.

A wealthy merchant lived in a mansion with his three daughters. They were all very beautiful, but only the youngest, twenty-year-old Belle, was lovely and pure of heart; her sisters, in contrast, were wicked and selfish. The merchant eventually lost all of his wealth in a tempest at sea. As a consequence of this, he and his daughters were forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living. After some years of this, the merchant heard that one of the trade ships he had sent off had arrived back in port, having escaped the destruction of its compatriots. He returned to the city to discover whether it contained anything valuable. Before leaving, he asked his daughters if they would like him to bring any gifts back for them. The oldest two asked for jewels and fine dresses, thinking that his wealth had returned. Belle was satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grew in their part of the country. The merchant, to his dismay, found that his ship's cargo had been seized to pay his debts, leaving him without money to buy his daughters their presents.

During his return, he became lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he entered a dazzling palace. He found tables inside laden with food and drink, which seemed to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. The merchant accepted this gift and spent the night there. The next morning as the merchant was about to leave, he saw a rose garden and recalled that Belle had desired a rose. Upon picking the loveliest rose he could find, the merchant was confronted by a hideous 'Beast', which told him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begged to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agreed to let him give the rose to Belle, but only if the merchant would return.

The merchant was upset, but accepted this condition. The Beast sent him on his way, with jewels and fine clothes for his daughters, and stressed that Belle must never know about his deal. The merchant, upon arriving home, tried to hide the secret from Belle, but she pried it from him and willingly went to the Beast's castle. The Beast received her graciously and informed her that she was mistress of the castle, and he was her servant. He gave her lavish clothing and food and carried on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asked Belle to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Belle dreamed of a handsome prince who pleaded with her to answer why she kept refusing him, and she replied that she cannot marry the Beast because she loved him only as a friend. Belle did not make the connection between the handsome prince and the Beast and became convinced that the Beast was holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She searched and discovered multiple enchanted rooms, but never the prince from her dreams.

[image error] Beauty and the Beast, illustration byWarwick Goble

For several months, Belle lived a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually she became homesick and begged the Beast to allow her to go to see her family. He allowed it on the condition that she would return exactly a week later. Belle agreed to this and set off for home with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror allowed her to see what was going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allowed her to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around her finger. Her older sisters were surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery. They were envious when they heard of her happy life at the castle, and, hearing that she must return to the Beast on a certain day, begged her to stay another day, even putting onion in their eyes to make it appear as though they were weeping. They hoped that the Beast would be angry with Belle for breaking her promise and would eat her alive. Belle's heart was moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agreed to stay.

Belle began to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and used the mirror to see him back at the castle. She was horrified to discover that the Beast was lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father had stolen from and she immediately used the ring to return to the Beast.

Upon returning, Belle found the Beast almost dead, and she wept over him, saying that she loved him. When her tears struck him, the Beast was transformed into the handsome prince from Belle's dreams. The Prince informed her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Belle were married and they lived happily ever after together.

Beauty And The Beast by *Hannah-Alexander on deviantART


Beauty and the Beast by ~TGB-illustrations on deviantART

Nina ~ Girl

Once upon a time...I wrote a little novella titled Nina. I loved this book oh so very much. It's the story of a girl that lives inside a painting and the things she sees while living inside the canvas. At the time (2005) it was my most ambitious piece of work. I spent some time looking for publishers and agents. I even got a personalized letter from an editor at a prominent (but small) publisher telling me to not give up on this book because it was a lovely story. The reason he passed on it was because they weren't looking for fantasy/magical realism type books at the time.

Anyway I stumbled upon Blu Phi'er Publishing. I saw that one of the authors on their site was a local Delaware author. So I contacted him through MySpace (it was really popular at the time) and asked him how things were going there. He said he liked working with the publisher so I figured I'd take a chance and submit Nina to them. Long story short they loved the book and sent me a contract. I read through it and didn't really pay attention to the fine print. They wanted LIFE RIGHTS to my book. Meaning that they would keep the novel FOREVER. Most publishers give the rights back to the author after a few years. This is why I always tell new authors to READ THEIR CONTRACTS.

Sigh.

The novel didn't go through edits. They had someone basically run a spell check and published my book. At least I had some say on the cover. I hired my dear friend ladytairngire 's niece to design the cover for me and I loved it. :) But after the bad experience I had with them I just can't look at the book the same way I used to. So I'm finally doing something about it. Technically they're in a breach of contract since I haven't seen a penny for my book since it's been published. They never kept any of the promises stated on the contract and they refused to contact me (trust me I've sent multiple emails throughout the years). So I found the original manuscript for Nina, hired my dear friend and editor Shonell Bacon and got a new cover for it.

Got the cover from K.C. Designs. Isn't it beautiful? Got it today! I saw it on her facebook page and asked her about the price and boom! Had a cover in less than ten minutes. https://www.facebook.com/KCbookcoverdesigns And this was the extra push I needed to finally go through the edits and get the ball rollin' again. Still have no idea what the exact release date of the book will be, but when she's ready you'll all know. :)
My 'girl' will get a second chance. Nothin' wrong with that, right?

Zombie Fairy Tales

Snow White Redemption by ~sakur on deviantART



4438 / 50000 words. 9% done!

Zombie Fairy Tales

Changing the title to Zombie Ever After. What do you think? Yay or nay?



Belle: Keeper of the Beast by *steevinlove on deviantART



3718 / 50000 words. 7% done!

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/2Y3Vf <-- Help Lizzie get to Baltimore! :D

#90!!!!

OMG you guys!! First Frost is #90 on the amazon list for Fairy Tales and Folklore!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/7006653011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kstore_1_6_last#5



I think this calls for a happy dance!!

Zombie Fairy Tales

Rapunzel in Zombie Apocalypse!?!? by ~Etherealopenskies on deviantART



2744 / 50000 words. 5% done!

Shattered Frost (idea for cover)

When Shattered Frost gets published I really like this image for the possible cover of the book. What do you guys think?



http://www.ingimage.com/imagedetails/60764408_extInt0/03A23105-Ingimage-close-up-portrait-of-sexy-winter-woman-in-snow.html

Why? The story takes place in winter, the Snow Queen makes a special appearance and I think this is an amazing picture. :) 

Writing Prompt

I figured since it's Summer and everyone is doing beach/summer themed stuff I figured I'd change things up a bit and give you guys a Winter picture prompt to help you cool off. ;)


© Liz DeJesus 2013
You wake up one morning in the Summer Time expecting the day to be a scorcher just like yesterday (as predicted by the weather man) only when you open your door you find a Winter Wonderland. What do you do? Are you happy? Angry? Filled with wonder? Write about how you would feel.

Zombie Fairy Tales

Snow White: Warrior Princess? by ~thewarriorprincess on deviantART



2293 / 50000 words. 5% done!