Angela Verdenius's Blog, page 10

Ryan's excerpt - and another contest!

Good grief, I'm going a little blog-happy lately! I promise to give it a rest soon LOL.

So, finally got the excerpt from Ryan's story, "Echoes" up on the website. If you're interested, pop across and check it out. Hope you find it intriguing!

And now - another Book Sweep! I know, I'm also a little contest crazy right now, but I like doing these Book Sweep contests, as you get such a good chance to win free ebooks and a fire kindle! This one is "Heroes in Uniform" - and who doesn't like an alpha male in uniform?! *hands up and waving wildly* So saying...I better put in the proper wording, right? Here goes:

****
Today, I have a fun surprise that I’d like to share with you.

I’ve teamed up with more than 60 fantastic Heroes in Uniform Romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner! 

You can win my novel Adam's Thorn, plus books from authors like Dale Mayer and Elle James.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/hero-uniform-rom

Good luck, and enjoy!
****
Catch you soon!!!

Another Book Sweepstake!

Hey all

just to let you know there is another Book Sweepstake running from 27th March to 3rd April 2017.

I’ve teamed up with more than 40 fantastic romantic comedy authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner! 

You can win my novel The Virgin Sex Queen, plus books from authors like Michelle Major and Christa Allan.

Enter the giveaway by going to: https://booksweeps.com/enter-win-40-r...

Good luck, and enjoy!

cheers
Ang

"Echoes" - Ryan's Book is Done!!

YES!!! I can't believe it! But yes, Ryan's story is finished.
Echoes

Available now for pre-order from Amazon & Smashwords - sorry, I have no idea how to link to the ebook stores from here, but the links are on my website www.angelaverdenius.com. As the links to Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo (ebooks) and Lulu (print) become available, I'll post them on my website.

The excerpt is still coming.

Man, I am so stoked!!!! The cover turned out great - I did a last minute play with it this morning.

Got three days off coming up starting Friday, and the plan is to kick back with cheese & garlic pizza, Diet Coke, the cats, and season 3 of ZNation to reward myself!!

WHOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!

Where am I with Ryan's Story...and Polly!

So I'm working on what I'm predicting to be the last two chapters. I know! I can't believe it msyelf! Honestly, with the issues I had with Ryan's story in the beginning, I truly thought this was going to be a brain-cruncher.

Well, it kind of has been in some ways, but the story has come to me much easier than I hoped. Mind you, this last two chapters has me dithering around LOL - not wanting to rush it or finish it too quickly. Sometimes beginning and ending a book are the hardest things to do. Starting interestingly and finishing satisfyingly.

So just wanted to update you all as to where I am at the moment.

Today is a day off my day job, it's 10:45 in the morning. I was up early, swept and mopped the floor, taken Polly (one of the cats) to the vet to get her teeth scaled and cleaned, done the shopping, put it all away, done the emails - now I'm settling in to write. Got Reba McEntire playing on the computer, along with some Elvis Presley, John Legend, Evanescence and some others. Diet Coke by my elbow, Evie (the naughty cat) causing havoc somewhere - I'll have to check what she's up to in a minute, that little turkey could be up to anything - and then I'm settling down to write for the rest of the day - apart from picking the cat up again when the vet rings to say she's ready!

Ah yes, Polly was a grumpy bum this morning. No breakfast (the horror of it!) and shut into Mum's room so she couldn't do a runner under my bed. Interestingly, have you ever noticed when a cat knows it's going to the vet that they seem to kind of melt onto the quilt? You literally have to tunnel your hand under them to lift them up and they kind of flop each side of your hand. It's like they're Velcroed to the bed. And dead weight? Polly was both. Amazing, simply amazing. But I managed to peel her off the bed with a bit of grunting (on my part) and foul looks (on her part) and got her into the basket. I got a phone call from the vet nurse a few minutes ago to say she'd fractured her canine and could they remove it? This is an indoor cat, how the heck did she manage to fracture her canine tooth? Anyway, the tooth's coming out (poor baby) and she'll come home on pain killers. Geez, when I'm not nursing people at work, I'm nursing furries at home!

Okay, enough waffling, I'm going to hit Ryan now. I mean hit the computer. I mean start writing. Geez...

Ryan's Story Progresses

So, a quick update on how Ryan's book is progressing. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm nearing the middle of it! I know, right? So unexpected. For the last few days it's been unfolding nicely. Mind you, halfway isn't all the way, there's still a distance to go, a story to continue to develop. But it's promising!

On the negative side, the subject is...not nice. Not pleasant. The overall arc is romance, always has been, but the plot line is, well...sobering, I guess is all I can say.

Now I'm finally back at work (yay!), my writing time is cut again, but I keep pecking at it. In fact, I'm writing now at 10:48 in the morning (been at it since 8am,) but have to stop at lunchtime to have something to eat and get ready for work. I'll get home at 10 tonight, then up at 5:30am for an early morning shift - be there by 7am, knock off at 2:30pm if all goes well, then get home, shower and get some more writing hours in before I break to watch Midsummer Murders at 8:30pm. Sorry, have to watch my British Detective TV series!!!

So I'll continue writing, see it pull me along. I'm in one of those mad writing frenzies I get into when the book progresses LOL. I'll keep you posted!

Contemporary Romance Book Sweep!

Hi all

I try to keep this for general chit chat with you all, as well as whining - I mean talking (yes, I meant talking!!!) about my current writing pain-in-the-neck hero (I mean challenging, fine, upstanding hero, yes, that is what I meant...geez), but this is a good opportunity for you all to win some ebooks & a new kindle!

So if you wish to go into a book sweep, continue reading. If not, then no worries! LOL

******

Open from 20th Feb 2017 to 27th Feb 2017.

This is the second contemporary romance book sweep currently running, this one featuring steamy romances.

I’ve teamed up with 45 fantastic contemporary romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels, PLUS a brand new Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

You can win my novel "Call on Me", plus books from authors like Kelly Hunter and Tara Taylor Quinn.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/steamy-heartwarming

Good luck, and enjoy!
Ang

A Darker Slant - good or not?!

So I'm really hitting a wall with Ryan's story. It's not him right now, surprisingly, but the fact that the story is darker than I had planned. I keep trying to find a way to lighten it, but it doesn't seem to be happening. And seeing as I like writing light-hearted stories, this is unusual.

I had this same problem when I wrote Shattered Soul (book 18 of my sci-fi series), it was really dark and I had problems. The only way I finally finished it was by embracing the story and just going with it.

So my decision now is - do I scrap three whole chapters of Ryan's story and restart with a different slant to make it lighter? Or do I embrace the serious side and go with it? ARGH!

I admit, I lean more towards going with the story as it is and see where it goes. It's taking a turn I hadn't expected, the heroine is not the usual girl I write, her actions unexpected. Her motives and experiences...it's just different. She's a tough cookie, that's all I'll say right now about her!

So yeah, I think I'm just going to continue forging on and see where Ryan and his girl lead me.

Sometimes the pathways aren't always so clear!!

The Writing Front...um...

So the writing hasn't been going so well lately. Like not at all.

Due to a minor surgery, I haven't been able to sit and write since last Wed, been on sick leave, in fact! I've just snuck on here to answer emails and do my newsletter, and post a bit here, then it's time to hit the sofa again. I do see the doctor on Thursday and hope to get the all clear so I can go back to work on the weekend and back to writing. YES! Also back to some walking as that's something that helps me when I have writing issues (I'm looking at you Ryan!)

Yes, can you believe it? Eve when I can't write this bloke is still giving me a headache. During this time I've juggled several different scenarios and plots for him and the heroine, thought about it, dragged it around the soup can of my mind....

Never mind, all goes well and I'll be back to the day job and writing on the weekend. I'll have to write like heck to make up for lost time, but oh well, them's the breaks. So look out Ryan, I'm coming for you!!!

Okay, that sounded better in my mind...and a little less...I don't know...dirty? LOL

Oh the bright side, I've caught up on a lot of DVDs that were sitting around waiting for me to have time to watch them, and done a fair bit of reading, so that is totally awesome. I'm about to go back to lie down on the sofa and finish watching season 3 of Two Guys and a Girl -loving this sitcom from the 90s!! Ryan Reynolds yeah!!!!!!

Ryan's Book is Next!

Okay, here is the final decision - yes, I am doing RYAN'S book first! Started the plotting today, printed out his cover to inspire me and stuck it up on the hutch of the writing desk.

After making me veer off my usual writing pattern, and badgering me so much, all I can say is Ryan better not buck the writing system too much and give me trouble - I have a delete key and a finger not afraid to tap it!

Ryan, you have been warned....do NOT give me that look...OMG, what have I done...?

*biting lip*

Blue or Ryan? Argh! When Characters Take Over!

So I'm starting Blue's story in the next coupe of days - OR AM I?

I SHOULD be starting Blue's story, he's the last one in The Wells Brothers trilogy. But is he talking to me? Well, he's whispering. But you know who IS talking? Ryan! LOUDLY!

For crying out loud, I'm not supposed to be doing his story until AFTER I've done Blue's, but will Ryan leave me alone? No. Even when I'm out on my daily walk I'm trying to piece together Blue's story in my mind, and who keeps butting in? RYAN! FREAKIN' RYAN! I mean, what the heck is going on? Since when do the characters dictate who is next? Huh? You tell me that!

Sheesh!

Okay, so I MAY have to admit defeat and write Ryan's story first. I can't believe I'm actually contemplating it as I always write in the order of the books. ARGH!!!!!

Tomorrow I have to paint the laundry, dunny, ceiling and lounge room wall patch-up jobs (all from water damage from leaking pipes in the roof, remember?), and then I'm planning on starting the next book on Wednesday.

My biggest decision will be - Blue or Ryan?

*sigh*....