Toni Aleo's Blog, page 22

Writing Wednesday!

Hello all!!! How has everyone's week been? Mine has been good! Tired of course! But great!! A lot of cool things happened and I can't wait to share them with y'all!!! So lets get started!


Okay so my week was pretty crazy. My daughter had a lot of dance, my husband played some hockey and my son has made me play a lot of Harry Potter with him. We had a nice family day on Saturday where we went to the mall here in Nashville, Opry Mills and checked out all the new stores. It was awesome. The Disney store was amazing and took a lot of my money and so did the Lego store, but I had two happy kiddos, so I was happy. I also started planning my daughters birthday party. She is currently obsessed with that new Disney Movie that is coming out, Brave, so I am going to turn my back yard into Scotland. My husband will wear a kilt and I will have a bagpiper! I know, awesome huh? hehe. Sunday was my husband and I's 9th wedding anniversary. Can't believe it really, we've been through hell and back, but he is my biggest supporter, and I love him so much! I also had another Disney debacle, figures huh? lol. anyways, I had planned my whole trip right? well my friends down at the dance studio were wondering my plans so I shared them and I soon found that I made the BIGGEST mistakes. I had us hitting up Magic Kingdom on Columbus day and apparently that is really bad. Lots of people go that day. So I called Disney and after an hour and half, I finally got our trip completely redone. It was intense. lol. But now I am really excited for the awesome way I have it! I also had my blog redone, and omg, isnt it gorgeous. Tabby over at Insightful Mind Designs Studio did an AMAZING job! I love it, and its everything I wanted!  Dont you just love the pink, the heart, the Shea Weber? mmmm, it makes me happy!!! Thanks so much Tabby! You're the bomb diggity! I am also counting down the days until Magic Mike. Call me a horn dog, and yeah, I am only writing this so I can post this gif, but goodness me, I am so ready to see this movie!!






Anyways, I would have to say the best part of my week was yesterday...wanna know why? Well! I got my cover for Empty Net! I know, I totally understand if you are going all fangirl on me, cause I did when I seen it. It is totally different than Taking Shots and Trying to Score. It is so in your face and amazing! I LOVE IT! Jaycee Delorenzo over at Sweet N Sexy designs did it in like 6 hours! it was insane and omg, amazing! Along with getting the cover, I also have the release date! Okay okay! Please stop squealing, I know y'all want Tate just as much as I want to give him to you! but we gotta get 100 reviews of Trying to Score first! We are up to 75! That means we only need 25 more!!! To entice you some more, I am running a huge giveaway! Check out this post to see it. So come on! Go leave a review!  It only take a few minutes! When I reach 100 we will have all the awesomeness, I am DYING to give y'all! hehe!





Now lets go to the book states. Taking Shots is doing good, with a 4.3 rating and 127 reviews now. Trying to Score is also doing good with a 4.4 rating and 75 reviews. So overall, we are doing well! I am happy with it. I am currently doing a tour with Reading Addiction Blogs. Having a great time too! Meeting a whole bunch of cool bloggers!!! So yay for that! Opps a little more Magic Mike there for ya!



Rawr.....
mmm...
oh yeah....
OH! excuse me! back to the post!
So guess what! I only have 6 more chapters to write! Yehaw! I didnt get to write much last week because I had been so busy but this week, I plan on getting alot done. My husband is going on a canoe trip, so he wont be bothering me and my kids are going to my moms, so I will have my computer and my house to myself, so its on and poppin! I am really excited to spend all my time with Tate and Audrey, no one to bother me! hehe.



By the way, I am still completely in love with this book. I am so excited for it to be done and kinda sad cause I wont have Tate and Audrey anymore to write about, but thats okay, I'll have a whole new cast of characters and let me tell you, Blue Lines is gonna be intense. Really excited about that one. But getting the cover of Empty Net, and getting my release date made it so much more realer for me, and I just can't wait now. Especially when I get the whole thing back, completely edited and ready to go! Thats when I'll probably cry! lol! Can you notice that I LOVE Emma Stone? She is kinda my chick! Totally love her!



So on with the stats!
I am on Chapter 24!
The ending word count is: 121,562
My goal is to have Chapter 26 done by next Wednesday.
When I get to Chapter 25, the beta readers will get chapters 16-20.
Editors are done to 20, about to send chapters 21-23 today.
Critique partner is right there with me, and probably wants to kill me cause I havent sent her 23 yet...opps :P Love ya Tara!
Last line I wrote:

“I love you, too.”

Music from this chapter:
Fix a Heart - Demi Lovato
Lightweight - Demi Lovato
As long a you love me - Justin Bieber (yeah, I listen to Justin Bieber! So!?)
Gone - Ioanna Gika
The Wind - Zac Brown Band
 I really do love the song Gone, its beautiful, check it out!



Well thats all I got this week! Dont forget to leave a review for Trying to Score, dont forget to enter the giveaway, and enjoy your week! Keep your fingers crossed that I get A LOT done this week! Have a great week! and thanks so much for spending a little time with me! I'm outta here! See ya!



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Get your Swag on Giveaway!

Hello! I am posting because its time to get down to business everyone!!! We are up to 62 reviews on Amazon for Trying to Score, and we need 100!! I have the Empty Net cover and y'all know how impatient I am! I want to show it to y'all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad! I also want to give y'all the first chapter! and tell you guys the release date!! I have it all, but can't do anything until I reach 100 reviews!!So lets do this! To entice you to do it, I am running a HUGE giveaway!! Lets take a look at the prizes shall we?
An Assassins Jersey - Brooks or AdlerA signed copy of BOTH Taking Shots and Trying to ScoreA swag pack!and the best one:AN ARC OF EMPTY NET!
Thats right, you have the chance to read Empty Net before anyone else!! I will be picking four different winners for this! Its gonna be awesome, so please go leave a review and then come back and enter!! 
Good luck!!
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Wednesday Writing

Hello everyone!!! I hope all is well and that everyone is enjoy their summers so far. Like always, I am tired. Right now though, I have a pounding sinus headache but it doesnt matter! I need to write this post, fix some edits, plan some more of Disney, and write, all while taking care of my little bits. It seems that with each passing day they become more and more needy. It drives me insane, and something needs to give. I need a vacation, and October seems soooooooooo far away!! But this is my life and man, I freaking love it!

This week has been busy, which is nothing new. lol. I have been crazy busy trying to plan Disney. Let me tell you, I am so stressed out about this vacation, it better be the most magical thing ever. I better step off that plane and Mickey better be there, shooting magical things at me. One of my mishaps this week was I booked our airplane tickets and when I did it, I made us leaving Orlando and coming to Nashville and then back, instead of us going from Nashville to Orlando. I called Southwest, bawling my eyes out and finally 45 minutes everything was fixed. Blah. Its so crazy in my head right now. I forget my daughters dance stuff, I forget my husbands hockey games! Thankfully my son only wants me for Harry Potter or I might be a complete waste. My friends are probably fed up with because I'm either too tired to do anything or I am constantly on the computer. But its will all be over soon enough and then I will be my old self. Which really, I'm not so sure that is a good thing...haha.

Another thing I did this week was go and see Snow White and The Huntsman...well really, I watched the Huntsman. Let me just say that Chris Hemsworth is by far the most gorgeous Irish speaking actor ever! I was basically drooling watching this movie...I mean watching him. mmmmm....he comes close to Shea Weber, y'all and you know that means something! GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY! whooooo! hehehe. I have been totally boring this week. Only writing and planning so I dont have anything else cool to tell y'all. All I'm doing is being a mom, working, and writing. In other words, I'm going insane. But anyways, on to book stuff!



But first, lets discuss the real movie I am waiting for...... Would anyone like to join me in the front row?ANYWAYS!
Right now, Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours is touring Trying to Score. For the most part its been great, and I do just adore Cami! She is such a sweetie. Taking Shots is doing well and so it Trying to Score. I think we are up to 57 reviews on TTS. Just a reminder for all you new readers, when I reach 100 reviews of Trying to Score, the cover and the first chapter of Empty Net will be debut! Yehaw! My blog is currently being made over my the beautiful Tabby from Insightful Minds. She is working really hard and I am super excited to see what she comes up with. All I do know is that its gonna be pure epicness, which is basically anything Tabby does! Another cool thing is that Tara over at Taters Tall Tails is running a HUGE giveaway, and one of the prize is an advance copy of Empty Net when I get done with I am done! So everyone should head on over there and sign up for that!

Now on to the fun stuff!!!
I have big news!!!!!!
I only have 9 chapter left! plus, the epilogue and I am done with Empty Net!!!!!
I know, amazing huh? I hadnt planned on being done till August but I might be done by the end of the month now!!!!! I have written all the outlines for each chapter, so I know exactly what I want to write, its just I gotta find the time and....well shit, I can't think of the word cause I'm so tired, but I need to find it so I can finish this book! I am so excited and so proud of myself for this. If I get Empty Net done by the end of the month, that will mean I wrote 3 books in a year and a half. Holy molly that is nuts!!! Now I know alot of you are like, "Oh my god, if she gets it done by the end of the month will it release early?!" Well here is your answer:
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If I get done, then the release will be moved up to September/October! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! EKKKKKKK!!!!!
The book is going AMAZING!  
Here is what some of the beta readers are saying:

Sweet Jesus lady! :) I didn't want to stop reading! GRRRRRRR. - Tabby

I can't decide if I love Audrey or want to slap her or both! lol. You definitely have a way of sucking people's emotions in to your books! - Kaci

OMG I LOVE IT - Mary

I can't get to excited because I know something bad is going to happen! They are too happy!! - Althea

Toni, people are going to love this story!!!! Tate is just awesome. - Shannon

Oh and what does my critique partner think you may ask?

What Tara Thinks of Empty Net:
I want to climb Tate like a tree and hump his face.
I want murder Levi.
I want to witness first hand, Lucas' attempt to be the construction worker from the village people (preferably the sexy stripper version!)
And I need to buy more AWWWW"S cuz i keep using them up.
Toni is truly blooming into an amazing author and this book is her best yet. The characters are fantasimal and you will instantly fall in love with Tate and Audrey.

So in other words, I am extremely confident in this book! Its gonna be epic! I wrote some hockey scenes the other night and my husband was like, "Wow, you've been paying attention, I might think you were a guy if I didnt know you wrote this." So yay me! Things are going great, and again I can't wait for the cover to be done and to know exactly when I am releasing! Y'all will be the first to know!!!

So on with the stats!
I am on Chapter 21!
The ending word count is: 107,000
My goal is to have Chapter 23 done by next Wednesday.
I AM SENDING OUT 5 MORE TO THE BETA READERS TODAY!
Editors are done to 17, about to send chapters 18-20 today. Critique partner is right there with me, wanting more! hehe
Last line I wrote:
“Not telling you. The whole point of presents is the surprise.”









Music from this chapter:
You my only shorty - Demi Lovato
Unbroken - Demi Lovato
We are young - Fun.

Now, everyone knows who Fun. is and everyone has heard We are young, 3927584857407 times, so I'm not going to post that video. I'm gonna post the other one, Some Nights, because it is my FAVORITE song off the album! So awesome!




Well thats it! I hope I didnt bore you guys, but I am starting to think I dont since sooo many people read this! Thats so awesome by the way!! Lets hope I get a good amount done this week and everyone keep your fingers crossed for an early release! I hope your week is bright and sunny and safe! Thanks for everything and have a great day!!!




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ACR of Empty Net Maybe?

So I have some BIG news. I am a big supporter of book blogs, they are amazing, and I have made some BEST friends from the ones I follow. One of my favorite blogs is Tater's Tail Tails and my girl Tara, has hit 500 followers! Great job to her! To celebrate her awesome blog, she is having a freaking huge giveaway, it makes my giveaway look like peanuts! lol. Apart of her giveaway is a Signed Copy of Trying to Score and a swag pack, but that's not all. If she hits 700 followers, I am giving one lucky winner an Advance Copy of Empty Net when I am done. This could be the only copy I give out, I dont know if I will do what I did with TTS, so EVERYONE should go to http://www.taterstalltails.com/ and follow her blog! Thanks so much everyone!



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Reading Addiction Blog tour!

My Tour starts tomorrow with Reading Addiction Blog Tours! I am super excited and thankful to Cami for all she has done!! Please join me for the next two weeks to see what everyone thought of Trying to Score. It also gives you the chance to check out all these awesome blogs!!! Heres the tour list: June 4 - The Story of a Girl - REVIEW/Giveaway/Interview/ExcerptJune 5 - Bunny's Reviews - REVIEW/Giveaway/InterviewJune 6 - Tana Rae Reads - REVIEW/Giveaway/ExcerptJune 7 - Lady Caella - REVIEW/ExcerptJune 8 - A Case of Reading Insomnia - REVIEW/GiveawayJune 11 - Always YA at Heart - REVIEW/Giveaway/ExcerptJune 12 - Reader's Confession - REVEW/Giveaway/Interview/ExcerptJune 13 - Sweeping the USA - REVIEW/Giveaway/ExcerptJune 13 - Reading A Little Bit of Everything - REVIEW/Giveaway/InterviewJune 14 - For the Love of Film and Novels - REVIEW/Giveaway/ExcerptJune 14 - My Cozie Corner - REVIEW/Giveaway/InterviewJune 15 - Abby Ann's Bookland - REVIEW/Giveaway/ExcerptJune 15 -In Between - REVIEW/GiveawayThanks so much everyone! Hope to see everyone there!!!

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20,000 Views!!!

I hit 20,000 hits!!! Celebrate with me by entering to win a signed copy of Taking Shots!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks everyone!! Good luck!!!

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Writing Wednesday!

Hello again! How is everyone's week been? Mines been busy, of course. The kids are keeping me insanely busy but its been fun! Even with them driving me insane, I got a lot done this week! So I'm super excited too!I am still tired, and I've been trying to figure out ways to hide from the kids and husband for at least 10 minutes more of sleep, but it doesnt work! lol.

When I'm not writing, I am playing Lego Harry Potter with my little bit. We love it, and we are about to have a huge Harry Potter Marathon since he hasn't seen any of the movies :) Makes no sense how he hasn't. Me and Michael's first date was to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. We live Harry Potter, its me and Michael's thing, and I CAN NOT wait to share this with my little bit.




But overall, its been a good week. I went and got my 6th tattoo this week with my baby brother. He got Link from Zelda and I got Link's hearts. Its super awesome, and I love it so much! But the good always comes with some bad, I went to the Zoo with my family this weekend and someone stole my phone. I cried for hours because not only did I lose all my pictures and stuff of my kids and family, but I lost ideas for upcoming books. The only good thing is I got a sexy new phone that backs up everything I do. Plus, my wallpaper is just to die for...lol..So yippee for that. My husband had two hockey games this week. I am so lucky to be able to go to those cause if I wasnt able too, I'm pretty sure I would loose my mind. LOL. I dont know why I act like I acutally watch the whole game, I mostly have my laptop out and I'm writing...hehe. Michael doesnt mind, he supports it, and always ask how much I got done. He's such a great guy!





THE BEST THING EVER DID HAPPEN THIS WEEK THOUGH! Since I am a little over half way done with the book, and I plan on being done by August, I asked my husband if we could go on a vacation as a 'Way to go for finishing your 3rd book' gift. It was either that or season tickets to the Preds, but since we are buying a new house this December, I figured a vacation would be more cost effective. Well, we decided and omg, I am so excited because we are going to DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in October!!!!!!!!!!Now I know your probably like huh? But you dont understand. I LOVE DISNEY! Its amazing, its magical and I cry every time we go! lol So excited! The only thing I'm not excited about is the diet I am going on. I have developed a tire around my waist the last couple months and I refuse to have it when I'm in Disney. I wanna look good beside Flynn Ryder! lol.


Now, onto book stuff. Taking Shots and Trying to Score are going to be all over the place this summer. I am signed up for two different blog tours. When I get the banners, I will post them in the Tour section. Taking Shots is up to 121 reviews with a 4.3 star rating. Trying to Score is at 56 reviews with a 4.4 star rating both on Amazon. We only need 44 more reviews for the first chapter and cover of Empty Net to be revealed. So PLEASE GO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! :) The only bad thing that happened this week with my book was that I got a horrible horrible review and it hurt my heart but I promise guys, I've gotten better. I used to cry and omg it was horrible, but now I just shrug my shoulders. Its all I can do. People arent going to like me all the time.

This isn't book related but I am super excited about it! My blog will be getting a blog lift from Tabby over at Insightful Minds design studio. I'm super excited because she has some FANTASTIC ideas! So make sure to keep checking back and also check her out if you need graphics or a blog lift. She does everything for me. I would never go to anyone else!



Okay, Empty Net time!! Hehe! I am ahead of schedule!!!!! AHHH! I wanted to be to chapter 16 today but I am well into 18!!!! I am sooooo excited and so proud of myself for getting this done! I sent out chapter 6-10 to my beta readers but I havent gotten much feedback. I am so impatient! lol, but I know people have lives and that they cant write me back the minute I send off to them! I wish they could though! lol! haha. That would be a dream come true, but I am even lucky they are reading the book for me and telling me honestly what they think.
Anyways, I am super in love with Audrey and Tate right now. Omg, I wish y'all could read it. I think I posted a Facebook status last week about how I got chills during one chapter and its was so true. Its soo amazing, I swear, I have the HIGHEST hopes for this book. I already feel that it is better than Taking Shots and Trying to Score, and y'all know how in LOVE I am with Elli, Shea, Fallon and Lucas, but Audrey and Tate...sheesh...lol. I just can't wait to get a release date and a cover and all that fun stuff! It makes everything so much more real for me! I just hope that all this excitement I have will be worth it! I can only keep my fingers cross I guess! :)



So on with the stats!I am on Chapter 18.
The ending word count is: 90,732
My goal is to have Chapter 20 done by next Wednesday.


When I get to Chapter 20, 5 more chapters will be sent out to my beta readers.
Editors are done to 10, but have 11-14. Critique partner has chapters 15-17, but she has been sick! Feel better Tara!
Last line I wrote, its a text and it says:

I seriously: Can. Not. Wait.

Music from this Chapter:
Thinking of You - Dierks Bentley
Only Girl - Boyce Avenue
Thats all so far!!!




I am a BIG Dierks Bentley fan. He plays hockey with my husband and I've met him a few times. This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE song, and when he had his daughter come out and sing it with him, I bawled my eyes out. Just a little spoiler, it is for Shea and Elli in this chapter. Its a special song, and I love it so much, so here is the video!


So thats it! Did I bore y'all? lol, I swear, it takes me two hours to do this because I have no clue what to tell y'all! I am extremely boring! lol. I hope you enjoyed this, and please go leave a review for Trying to Score!! Thanks so much and have a great week! Dont forget to leave me comments and questions! They let me know y'all like this! :)




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Winners pick!!!

The winners have been chosen!!!

Copy of Trying to Score goes to: Maria Fasano-Palminteri
The winner of the $20 amazon gift card goes to: CarolinaSpain - please email me at toni.aleo@yahoo.com
The winner of the biggest prize ever goes to: Corinne

Thanks everyone that entered!!!!

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Writing Wednesday!

Hello all my Assassins' fans! How are you? How is the start of your summer going?
Mine is positively insane! hehe!
I feel like I am losing my mind, honestly!


When I wrote Taking Shots this time last year, my schedule at work was different, now I work 12am to 8am, and I am always tired. Mix that with two rambunctious children, a writing process, and keeping a house hold going...yeah, I really don't know how I'm gonna make it! I've seemed to put myself in a bubble, only letting the kids in. Its my Empty Net bubble, where Tate and Audrey are living their story. While trying to entertain my kids I find myself stopping, and writing stuff down in my notebook or my computer, if its close. When I'm driving, I'll stop and write, its insane. I am also starting to find out who my friends really are too. The ones that understand my insanity tend to be there when I need them, the ones that don't have wrote me off. 

This time around its worst, I dont know if its because of the pressure of wanting to write a great story or what, but like always I find myself second guessing my work. Like this:

Oh no! Is Audrey stupid like people said about Elli?! or stubborn like Fallon?
Will people connect with Audrey?
What about Tate? Am I writing them right?
Crap! Am I making them believable!
Freaking A, do men do that?
Does that happen in Hockey?
For the love of God, please let people love this book.



Add in my kids tearing up the house or arguing and that is my world right now. Tate and Audrey are always there. I see people do something, and my head will cock to the side, and I'll think that Audrey and Tate would do that. So I write it. My husband and I will argue or be cute about something and I'll write it. Everything around me inspires my Tate and Audrey, all I can do is write them and hope I do them right. I don't write cookie cutter romances, I've accepted that I'll never be a Nora Roberts or Kristin Higgins, and I have to stay true to me.



I love the book so far, I think it is amazing. Along with Taking Shot and Trying to Score, I am proud of what I've done. I sent off to my beautiful, amazing, super great, beta readers,(no I am sucking up to them, I honestly love them for taking the time out to read my book and tell me what they think!) and so far all of them LOVE it and I've only sent off 5 chapters! So I am super excited about that! My critique partner is hard at work, trying to decipher my mind and make my book shine. She is fantastic and doing a fantastic job. Then you have my two amazing, awesome, sweet editors, that I know have the hardest job out of everyone. It has to be hard to catch all my errors because God knows there is a ton! lol!

Now thats I'm done talking about my life kind of stuff, lets go onto Empty Net. There are no spoilers or anything like that, I dont want to spoil the the book for anyone, I'm just letting y'all into my life.


So here we go!
I just finished Chapter 13.
The ending word count is: 67,380
My goal is to have Chapter 16 done by next Wednesday.
When I get to Chapter 15, 5 more chapters will be sent out to my beta readers.
I think the editors are done with chapter 1-8 and my critique partner is right there with me, waiting on 13. I havent finished reading it over yet, so she hasn't gotten it yet.
I don't know if you could consider this a spoiler but this is the last line I wrote:

“Yeah, Audrey, I know. Friends.”

Music from this chapter:Too many Fish: KarminKnock you down: Keri HilsonGrenade: Boyce AvenueWe found love: Boyce Avenue






I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions or suggestions for next weeks Writing Wednesday please let me know! I feel like I've done nothing but bore y'all! Sorry if I have!

Thanks so much!








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busy, busy, busy

I havent had a blog post in a while, so here I am!Things are well in Toni Aleo land. My son is a second grader now, and my daughter is kindergartener, yes I cried all morning. hehe. The end of school year has came really quick and now I have two little people to entertain while trying to write Empty Net. I know, exhausting right? Since I know I am going to be beyond busy, I wanted to see what everyone would think about a Writing Wednesday. I thought of it the other day while I was writing..it was a Wednesday, anyways, I thought I could post what I'm doing with the book. Like what chapter I'm on, or something like that. I really dont have anything else to post but reviews and links to other blogs when stuff comes up. With Preds hockey season over...a moment of silence please.....I really have nothing, I promise I'm a really boring person. lol! So what do y'all think?
Thank so much, and enjoy your weekend!Don't forget to enter the contest! It ends tomorrow!

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