Rebecca Donovan's Blog, page 3

Voices in My Head

In twenty minutes, everyone will remember you when you're gone.
And your heart is a stone buried underneath your pretty clothes.

Don't you know people write songs about girls like you?

What will you do when something stops you? What will you say to the world?

What will you be when it all comes crashing down on you, little girl?
What would you do if you lost your beauty? How would you deal with the light?
How would you feel if nobody chased you? What if it happened tonight?

—The Naked and Famous



There is music that makes you feel. There is music that makes you move.

This music… made me THINK ~ “I want to write about that girl.”

That girl who is too perfect. That girl who makes everyone turn their heads when she walks into a room. That girl who is exactly who she needs to be to make everyone notice her.

Until they don’t.

Girls Like You by The Naked and Famous stirred something inside of me. It tempted me to explore the other side of perfection… of expectation. Leaving me with the truth.

Except she can’t recognize her own truth because she’s so drawn into the delusion of who others need her to be. Who actually sees her?

HIM.

I needed to tell HER story through HIS eyes.

What if she’s…

Not Perfect.

Not Expected.

Not Noticed.

Who does she become?

This story has challenged me since conception. Not only because I want to write a story that has a deeper message than what’s on the surface, but because HE has to be the one to tell it.

Writing from a male perspective, and trying to make it sound authentic, is much more challenging than I ever anticipated. Because I’m in HER head… knowing why she is who she is. But that’s not helping him discover her. Unravel her. Reveal her.

So now, I must step back... and be a guy. Think, feel, perceive as a male. Let her unveil herself at the pace she needs to.

In order to connect with this story, to make it as powerful as I intend, I have to find the quiet so I can listen to his voice in my head.

I believe the glory of writing is letting something in that was never there before… allowing it to find me in its own way. This story is exposing more of itself to me every day. And each day, I am inspired to tell it.

I hope you too will be enveloped by Cal’s voice as he unveils Nyelle before your eyes. It’s a story that questions everything…

Just to think ~ it all started with a song.

“What If”

Voices In My Head

In twenty minutes, everyone will remember you when you’re gone.

And your heart is a stone buried underneath your pretty clothes.

Don’t you know people write songs about girls like you?

What will you do when something stops you?

What will you say to the world?

What will you be when it all comes crashing down on you, little girl?

What would you do if you lost your beauty?

How would you deal with the light?

How would you feel if nobody chased you?

What if it happened tonight?

—The Naked and Famous

 

There is music that makes you feel. There is music that makes you move.

This music… made me THINK ~ “I want to write about that girl.”

That girl who is too perfect. That girl who makes everyone turn their heads when she walks into a room. That girl who is exactly who she needs to be to make everyone notice her.

Until they don’t.

Girls Like You by The Naked and Famous stirred something inside of me. It tempted me to explore the other side of perfection… of expectation. Leaving me with the truth.

Except she can’t recognize her own truth because she’s so drawn into the delusion of who others need her to be. Who actually sees her?

HIM.

I needed to tell HER story through HIS eyes.

What if she’s…

Not Perfect.

Not Expected.

Not Noticed.

Who does she become?

This story has challenged me since conception. Not only because I want to write a story that has a deeper message than what’s on the surface, but because HE has to be the one to tell it.

Writing from a male perspective, and trying to make it sound authentic, is much more challenging than I ever anticipated. Because I’m in HER head… knowing why she is who she is. But that’s not helping him discover her. Unravel her. Reveal her.

So now, I must step back… and be a guy. Think, feel, perceive as a male. Let her unveil herself at the pace she needs to.

In order to connect with this story, to make is as powerful as I intend, I have to find the quiet so I can listen to his voice in my head.

I believe the glory of writing is letting something in that was never there before… allowing it to find me in its own way. This story is exposing more of itself to me every day. And each day, I am more inspired to tell it.

I hope you too will be enveloped by Cal’s voice as he unveils Nyelle before your eyes. It’s a story that questions everything…

Just to think ~ it all started with a song.

“What If”

The Naked And Famous – “Girls Like You”

 

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The post Voices In My Head appeared first on Rebecca Donovan.

"We Can Be Heroes..."

You, as a reader and blogger, have a super power. Your love and passion of the written word is your strength. Your excitement to share it are your influence. And just like that, you have forced the publishing industry to evolve!

Look at what you've done for the Indie author. You've taken a chance on authors who opted to make themselves vulnerable, and put themselves at your mercy. Authors who chose to let YOU― not a publisher ― decide if they're worthy of being read. And you withheld judgment, not dismissing them because they don't have the publisher's emblem on their cover. You let their talent determine their success!

And when your favorite authors become published, your inquiry at the bookstores gets many of their books ordered. It was explained to me once that shelf space is like real estate in Beverly Hills. There's a finite amount of it. Only so many books can fit. To be on that shelf is a privilege and accomplishment. And do you know what gets that book in the store and keeps it on the shelf? You!

If you don't see the paperback version of a book you love in your local bookstore, ask for it . If enough of you ask, you will conquer and get what you want. You are the consumer. You drive the trends. You drive the market. Let your voice be heard!!

Your voice is the most influential super power you have! Word of mouth ― through reviews, book clubs, blogging, and sometimes your enthusiasm alone ― can propel an author to bestseller status. So please speak up! You are making all the difference in this evolving industry.

And the industry is continuing to evolve. It's not done yet! Access to new authors has exploded over the past year. More Indie authors are being recognized by publishers because you draw attention to their talent.

But... "With great power comes great responsibility." (Love Spider-Man!)

Know there is a human behind every book you read. This doesn't mean you shouldn't post an unenthusiastic review, but as you do, please consider what you would write if you had to watch that author read it.

Take pride in your power. Don't use it carelessly. Be discerning. Expect and demand excellence. Be more brilliant than the manipulative marketing. Finally, it's up to you to dictate when you've had enough of an influx in trend writing.

You are our voice to the bigger world. You are our advocates. You expose us to more readers than we could possibly do ourselves as an individual author.

I have been listening to you cheer for me personally these last few years. You were on the side of the road, clapping and cheering when I first released REASON TO BREATHE. You filled a gymnasium, hollering for me after BARELY BREATHING. And now, you've grown to fill a stadium with the release of OUT OF BREATH!! Thank you!

Your encouragement and passion are the reasons for my success. You have stayed with me. I am grateful for each and every one of you! I have said this before, and I will say it again: Keep cheering! I can still hear you! The power in your unified voices is making the world take notice!

There is still so much more to come...

Now, go. Use your super powers responsibly. You are going to change everything! (More than you already have.) Just watch!

You have the power to make all the difference.

“We Can Be Heroes…”

You, as a reader and blogger, have a super power. Your love and passion of the written word are your strength. Your excitement to share it is your influence. And just like that, you have forced the publishing industry to evolve!

Look at what you’ve done for the Indie author. You’ve taken a chance on authors who opted to make themselves vulnerable, and put themselves at your mercy. Authors who chose to let YOU, not a publisher, decide if they’re worthy of being read. And you withheld judgment, not dismissing them because they don’t have the publisher’s emblem on their cover. You let their talent determine their success!

And when your favorite authors become published, your inquiry at the bookstores gets many of their books ordered. It was explained to me once that shelf space is like real estate in Beverly Hills. There’s a finite amount of it. Only so many books can fit. To be on that shelf is a privilege and accomplishment. And do you know what gets that book in the store and keeps it on the shelf? You!

If you don’t see the paperback version of a book you love in your local bookstore, ask for it. If enough of you ask, you will conquer and get what you want. You are the consumer. You drive the trends. You drive the market. Let your voice be heard!!

Your voice is the most influential super power you have! Word of mouth—through reviews, book clubs, blogging, and sometimes your enthusiasm alone—can propel an author to bestseller status. So please speak up! You are making all the difference in this evolving industry.

And the industry is continuing to evolve. It’s not done yet! Access to new authors has exploded over the past year. More Indie authors are being recognized by publishers because you draw attention to their talent.

But… “With great power comes great responsibility.” (Love Spider-Man!)

Know there is a human behind every book you read. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post an unenthusiastic review, but as you do, please consider what you would write if you had to watch that author read it.

Take pride in your power. Don’t use it carelessly. Be discerning. Expect and demand excellence. Be more brilliant than the manipulative marketing. Finally, it’s up to you to dictate when you’ve had enough of an influx in trend writing.

You are our voice to the bigger world. You are our advocates. You expose us to more readers than we could possibly do ourselves as individual authors.

I have been listening to you cheer for me personally these last few years. You were on the side of the road, clapping and cheering when I first released REASON TO BREATHE. You filled a gymnasium, hollering for me after BARELY BREATHING. And now, you’ve grown to fill a stadium with the release of OUT OF BREATH. Thank you!

Your encouragement and passion are the reasons for my success. You have stayed with me. I am grateful for each and every one of you. I have said this before, and I will say it again: Keep cheering! I can still hear you! The power in your unified voices is making the world take notice!

There is still so much more to come…

Now, go. Use your super powers responsibly. You are going to change everything. (More than you already have.) Just watch!

You have the power to make all the difference.

Rebecca

*Many of you are reading this via my first-ever newsletter! If you’re not subscribed and would like to receive monthly updates from me and all that’s going on in my world, please visit my website homepage and click the SUBSCRIBE button at the bottom!

**And now a little surprise THANK YOU from me to you! This is the Launch Party Video for the OUT OF BREATH release on July 2nd. It was an amazing day in my life and I hope you enjoy this highlight of the celebration. (Want more? Here’s the longer version!)

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The post “We Can Be Heroes…” appeared first on Rebecca Donovan.

The Evolution of an Indie Author

Two years ago today, I clicked on a button that changed my life.

Publish

I became an Indie Author with that single click.

I watched the world react to Emma's story. I heard every single cry of anguish. I read every single word questioning why I would end a book that way. I received every single email thanking me for exposing you to a story that made you feel .

I celebrated the positive reviews. And I cried over a few harsh ones. I typed my soul onto the screen, but wasn't prepared for the vulnerability of having others judge a piece of me. It made me question if I could truly do this, be an author.

But one of my closest friends reminded me why I needed to continue: Being a writer is who I am. I cannot make others love my work. All I can do it put everything I am into it.

I have grown as an author since I wrote Reason to Breathe nearly four years ago. My Indie version is still flawed, even after re-publishing it a half dozen times over the years. But the story is exactly what it should be. Honest. Real. The story of a girl who is trying to figure out where she fits in the world. And you welcomed Emma into your world with open arms.

Thank you!

Emma is as perfectly flawed as her Indie version. And not everyone understands or even likes her. She is written that way. I have learned a lot about who I am because of her. And I'm honored to have been the one to write her story.

In less than a year after releasing Reason to Breathe, I published Barely Breathing, and once again, you were there, waiting to continue experiencing this heart-wrenching trilogy. But this time, many more of you decided to take a chance on this Indie Author.

I haven't made it easy on you, forcing you to wait a year between each book. But when I write, I'm creating. And just like an artist blending shades together to portray the exact hue of blue, I immerse myself in this conceived world, revising my words until they have the intended impact. Elizabeth and I have been known to go back and forth for twenty minutes over a single sentence.

My words are my art.

And whatever impression they make upon you, all I care about is that they made an impression at all. And it seems that I have done just that because right after self publishing Barely Breathing last May, I was contacted and signed by my fabulous agent Erica Silverman at Trident Media Group, and then I was approached by Amazon Publishing/Skyscape.

All because I took a chance and clicked that one button.

Now, on June 4th, the newly edited version of Reason to Breathe will be re-released. (The story hasn't changed, I promise.) Followed by Barely Breathing on June 18th, and, of course, Out of Breath on July 2nd.

I cannot express how proud I am of Out of Breath. It is the perfect conclusion to this trilogy. That girl who was trying to find her place in the world must now discover all she has to do is believe in herself.

May is the last month I will be an Indie Author. The covers with the doors won't exist after this month. But my heart will always be Indie. I am too much of a free spirit to let that side of me go.

It has been my dream since I first began creating this story to see it on the bookshelves of a library and a bookstore. And now it will be. I will be in over 2,000 Wal-Mart stores all over North America in July! My heart swells just typing that!

To celebrate the release of the Amazon Published version of The Breathing Series, I have decided to reveal the last line of Out of Breath on my web site, www.rebeccadonovan.com, once the image on my author page, www.facebook.com/RebeccaDonovanAuthor, has been shared 3,000 times!

There are some of you who have witnessed the evolution of my career from the very beginning. Did you think this was possible? Did you know I would be an internationally published author in two years time? I could only believe...

The Rebecca Donovan Experience

I will be traveling like crazy for the rest of the year. Why? To see you!! I'm trying my best to make an appearance in every region of the country. If there wasn't already a book signing organized, I made one up! I'll be roaming the country with my friends, who also happen to be talented authors. Lucky me... and you!

I'm even making Canadian and UK appearances.

I want to meet you. To see your smiling faces. To hear how much I've put you through.

Here is the current list of where I'll be for the year (and there may be more added later):

http://www.rebeccadonovan.com/Appeara...

Things to know about meeting me at a book signing:

~ I adore you. I would sit in a chair forever and sign, whatever, to meet every single one of you.

~ On occasion, I do have to slip away to use the restroom. But I am quick, so you don't have to skip my table if I'm not there. I promise, I'll be right back.

~ I plan to only bring 50 books of RtB and BB to the signings (history has shown this is a decent number), so I advise bringing your own book if you have one.

~ I will sign anything, except flesh.

~ Hugging is permitted.

~ Take a picture!!

~ Come with a question! I LOVE more than anything to actually talk to you. I know there's a line, and people are waiting. So, come prepared. I will tell you just about anything except: if Emma and Evan are getting back together; will OOB have more than one point of view; will there be a happy ending, etc. Other than that, ask away!!

~ I have a new feature where I will have pdf images of each book cover on my iPad to sign electronically, and then email it to the eBook readers who don't have a "book" to sign. Pick one cover, and be prepared with your email address. Technology is so amazing!

~ I like to dress up for the occasion. You can judge. It's okay.

~ I prefer to have a champagne glass next to me filled at all times-preferably with something pink and bubbly.

~ My handwriting becomes messier as the day progresses. (I actually don't like my handwriting to begin with, so I apologize in advance.)

~ I am as excited to see you, as you are to see me! I guarantee it!

So... will I see you?!?! Next stop is LA on April 6th!

http://youtu.be/rkf2tShQUd4

You Should Be Smiling!!

July 2nd...

That's the day Out of Breath will be on your Kindles or in your hands!

What's even better, you can Pre-Order it now!!

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Of-Breath-B...

In the meantime, I need to finish editing it... selecting the new cover... and then edit it some more. It's so close to being perfect.

There's a lot to be done before July 2nd, but instead of drowning in the anxiety of that list, I AM SMILING! And you should be too!

I LOVE THIS STORY!!

It's coming... and I can't wait to see your faces once you've read it!!

This Is It! Ready? Set. GO!!

Did you know who I was at this time last year? Most of you will say, "No." That answer alone will tell you how much 2012 has meant to me. Because now you're a part of my world, and I am so grateful you found me!

Do you know who else I am grateful to have found me? Colleen Hoover. She sent me an email this past summer and basically said, "We should be friends." And guess what? We Are! And because of that email, I have been introduced to many more authors I adore and respect, who have now also become my friends. So, thank you, Colleen. You made my 2012 that much better!

Within two weeks of self-publishing Barely Breathing, I was contacted by Erica Silverman at Trident Media Group, and found myself an amazing agent who believes in me! I can't even begin to express how that feels. Thank you, Erica! And within a couple weeks after that, I was contacted by Tim Ditlow at Amazon Publishing informing me he was up all night reading Reason to Breathe, unable to put it down. And just like that, I have a publisher. Thank you for taking a chance on my book, Tim!!

I am the luckiest girl in the world to have the friends that I do, and the son who continues to inspire me. Being loved is the best gift in the world, and I am surrounded by a mountain of glittery packages, I can't even see over the top! Thank you to my girls, my beta team, my writing partner and all who get just as excited as I do by all that has happened for me this past year. Being able to share it with you makes it real!

And then there are All of You!! You downloaded The Breathing Series and then couldn't stop talking about it with anyone who would listen. You shared your feelings, all of them, and let me know just how invested and passionate you are about Emma's story. I could never Thank You enough! But I will try!

2012 Blew My Mind!! I am touched every time I receive an email. I do read every single one, even if I'm 500 emails behind in responding. I read every single comment on the Facebook pages, and every Tweet that flashes on my phone. I love the virtual hugs received by each blogger who reviewed the books and then put them on their "Favorites of 2012" lists! LOVE the Love!!

And if I thought 2012 was life altering... wait until you see what's in store for 2013!!! Thank you for your encouragement - I can hear you all cheering me on! Thank you for your passion - I know what those sleepless night have done to you (and your families)! Thank you for being a part of my world - it is more beautiful with you in it!!

Ready for 2013?! I AM!!!

Make a Wish!

Out of Breath is now in the hands of my editor at Amazon Publishing. After months of writing, it truly came down to the last two weeks.

I created a writing schedule. And... I didn't follow it. I couldn't do it. I cannot write on demand. I cannot produce based on a deadline. But I can write fueled by Dew and the natural adrenaline of panic. I locked myself away in a beach house in California (no, I didn't suffer) for a week, and wrote. Slept a couple of hours, drank some Dew, and wrote some more.

I strategized with my talented and brutally honest beta team. Developed some major plot changes that made me so excited I couldn't wait to add them in, restructuring the story-line until it all interconnected seamlessly. Elizabeth and I were a fabulous team in our tireless (which means sleepless) efforts to make Out of Breath that much better, and we reviewed all thirty-seven chapters until we were thrilled with the results. But... I still had the last three chapters to write with time running out.

I continued to write on the flight home, spending every minute of the five and a half hour flight hovering over my computer. And when I still wasn't done, I finished the last twelve pages at a friend's apartment in Boston so I wouldn't have to drive too far from the airport. Forty Chapters, Four Hundred Eighty-Two Double-Spaced Pages, and One Hundred Thirty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Nineteen words later... I was done!

The last three chapters still need a little more love, but after reading them the next morning after I sent them to Amazon, I had tears in my eyes.

Out of Breath is a beautifully powerful conclusion to Emma's story, and I couldn't be happier with how it all comes to be, just as it should. Their voices still echo within me, long after typing the final words. I spent four years with these characters, and I will miss them now that I am letting them go.

Life isn't perfect, and we're all flawed. I hope you will appreciate all that makes Emma perfectly flawed in the final chapters of this book.

What now?

I have some crazy editing to do with Amazon on Out of Breath. I'll be working with their editing team to smooth out the edges, and make this story as phenomenal as is intended. I'll admit, the thought of editing makes my stomach twist into incy little knots. It's my least favorite part. But it will all be worth it when you read it in JUNE 2013!!

And I'll be making quite a few public appearances in 2013! I have a new addition to my team, although she isn't technically new. Emily has been one of my closest friends for years (more like a sister honestly)! Along with being a beta reader for all three books, she is now my marketing manager. She is going to make certain I get to see all of you in some way or another because she knows just how much my readers mean to me!

We have so much planned for 2013, I can't wait to share it with you as it happens!!

And... I'm already starting to write again! I have to listen to the voices in my head or else I'll go crazy! Uh... I may already be there. But you love me anyway, right?!

Today is the luckiest day of the year! Did you make a wish at 12:12 on 12.12.12?! I'm quite certain your wish will come true! Mine definitely is!

Just Words

I have mastered the Art of Procrastination. And it is an art. Wait too long, and it turns into slacking off. Start too early, and the panic hasn't set in enough to force the creativity to the surface.

I hand my completed Out of Breathe manuscript to my publisher on November 30th. I am still writing this manuscript. I am just now nearing the halfway point of the story... and I still have a lot of story to tell! Yes, the panic has set in. But you know what? I'll get it done! I always do! Granted there will be some serious heart palpitations along the way, and it may not be the neatest manuscript they've ever received, but it will be done... and it will be magnificent!!

And now that I have a fractured foot, I have no place better to be than on my chaise, in my office, with my laptop at my fingertips. The last couple of days, I've written chapters that have literally moved time. I cannot express how amazing that feels, to be so involved in the story that nothing else exists. It's been a while since I've felt that rush, and I've missed it!

I've begun sharing teasers on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/thebreathingseries. I will spread them out over time to last until June. I know if feels like a long time from now, but let's hunker down together and cuddle in tight to fend off the cold Winter. The next thing you know, the storm will let up, the cold will slip away, and we will emerge into the Spring with the sun lighting up our faces, birds singing in the trees, and the fragrance of flowers in the air. June will be here!!

Are you voting? Yes, I think it's important that you cast your votes on Tuesday and send a message to your electoral college about what you'd like to happen in your state and country. Make your voice heard!!

Have you voted for your favorite books too?! Your vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards has a direct impact on the smile of an author! Barely Breathing has been nominated for best Young Adult Novel among such talented authors as Colleen Hoover, Tammara Webber, Nicole Williams, John Greene and Abbi Glines. Authors I admire and respect, so I am beyond ecstatic to see my cover alongside theirs! VOTE for your favorite. As humble as I can try to be... I hope it's mine!! Haha! http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...

I just wanted to say, "Hi!". To let you know that I'm so proud of Out of Breath and that June will be here. And we will celebrate its arrival together!! Finally, Please Vote... TWICE actually!