Marian Tee's Blog, page 16

My First Published Book - A Fling to Remember

So lately I have had my number of Filipino readers increasing. But not to worry - I love you all EQUALLY hahaha. But anyway, people here have been asking about where they can get paperback copies locally. Unfortunately, my publisher and I can't answer that yet.

Ultimately, this reminded me of my very first book - the one I wrote when I was still eighteen and was fortunate to have published. I really wish I could share it with everyone but rights belong to the publisher so I can't translate it to 100% English text. The official version is 90/10 English/Filipino though. 

But in case you are interested in it, let me just indulge in a little #throwbackthursday nostalgia - two days earlier albeit - and share with you the blurb and excerpt (EVERYTHING IN ENGLISH, I promise!). THE BLURB
All Mairi ever wanted was to give up her baby - a 10 year old Sentra - monthly checkups, graduate from college with honors, and meet a nice guy. Unfortunately, what she ends up with is a necessary transfer to another school and a very public break-up staged by none other than her two-minute-old (first) boyfriend. 

A gorgeous award-winning actor and a scion to the Philippines' equivalent to the Royal Family, Patrick finds himself suffering from ennui... until he meets Mairi who, despite her insults about his academic status and her having only one pair of shoes (ice blue at that) for all occasions, seems to be the perfect "flingmate" because of her views about the Emotion-That-Must-Not-Be-Named. 

Patrick and Mairi are almost complete opposites of each other. But do differences really matter in having a fling or when falling in love?

THE EXCERPT

            “Patrick, may I introduce you to my friend and your date tonight, Mairi Llanos-Sy. Mairi, this is Patrick Gonzales.”  Katie hoped that she had done the instructions right because Patrick was terribly fussy when it came to things like that. 

            The two shook hands very, very briefly.       

Patrick couldn't help but notice that her hand was not as smooth as the ones he was used to holding. A woman who worked, apparently. He respected that. “I’m sorry I was late. Heavy traffic.” There was no reason not to seize using the number one excuse even if it sounded lame. It was also an outright lie since he hadn’t brought any car. Still, it sounded better than the more truthful I was so hyped up about our date I fell asleep.

Mairi refrained from saying that would be pretty impossible since Katie told her he lived nearby. She smiled at him very, very slightly. “You have a watch then.” Mairi said in her sweetest voice.

            Patrick saw Katie choke.

Huh?

“Excuse me?” Patrick asked, bemused.

            “I said,” she repeated with exaggerated patience, “you have a watch then.” She rolled her eyes as if saying he needed to clean his ears.

            Bitch. “Yes.” He stated curtly. “I do have a watch. So?”  What was happening to him? He was acting like a jerk and he knew it. But hell, the girl was pushing him to his limits. He had apologized about his tardiness, extreme it may be. The least she could do was accept it graciously like an educated, cultured woman. He couldn’t remember being annoyed so much by any woman before. Usually, they all wanted to please him.

            Mairi hid a smile at his obvious pique. She wasn’t done yet. Oh no, baby, she was only beginning. “Since you do have a watch, I guess you don’t know how to use it.” She gazed at him in sympathy. “Is it new? It seems like a pretty complicated contraption, isn’t it?” She made a tsk tsk sound. The insult stung more because his was just a simple Rolex, no digital whatchamacallits. Original, of course.

            He gritted his teeth. By then, he knew what she was driving at but he was too late. If he remained silent, he’d be letting her make him into someone who was too dumb to know how to use a stupid watch. And he hated that. He really hated that. “I know how to use my watch.” He told her crankily, hating to take the bait but unable to stop himself from doing so.

            “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you." She said with sugary sweetness. "I just thought, since you’re four hours late but you have a watch, I naturally assumed you didn’t know how to use it.” She shrugged. “It’s a rather sensible conclusion, you know. I mean, you’re from Ateneo, surely you can see the logic in it. But then, you’re still in your freshmen year. Kinda late for someone who’s in his mid-twenties, isn’t it?”

Translation: You’re too old to be in school and you’re stupid enough not to be able to read the time. Patrick saw red. That’s it. If she wanted a war, he’d give it to her. He was never the one to disappoint a lady. How could such a lovely face hide such an evil personality?

He smiled at her devilishly. “I didn’t remember telling you all those things about me, Mairi. I can call you, Mairi right?” He didn’t wait for an answer even though she was already opening her mouth to protest. “We’re going to become friends, after all. And don’t worry, Mairi. I’m fairly liberal. Seeing that you know so much about me, I can at least infer then that you like me. Enough at least to be an avid fan.”

            Earl and Katie started to laugh but hastily covered it when Mairi stared at them with murder in her eyes. “I’m not an avid fan!” she denied hotly and a bit guiltily because she was an avid fan of his, albeit secret. The jerk. He had turned the tables and now Mairi was feeling the same humiliation he had felt a while ago.

It's September 8!

That means it's Mother Mary's birthday. :) I know this will come across as weird for some, considering how "sexy" my books are, but I'm actually pretty devout - not the OMG-I-can't-ever-miss-mass type, but I take my devotion seriously. I never blame God about anything that happens to my life, I always remember to pray - stuff like that. So...just wanted to get that out - it's one reason why I write "religious horror". 

Now, September 8 is also GRANDPARENTS DAY! So if I have grandmothers (and grandfathers?) as readers, Happy Grandparents Day to you! :)
So...I've been struggling writing this one book - to the point that I erased two chapters two times. That means I wrote two new chapters, trashed them, wrote another 2 chapters, then trashed them again. =/ I've decided that maybe I'm too stressed to work so I'm resting for tonight and hopefully I'll do better tomorrow (Monday). Hopefully I will since it's always best to start the week right. 

Mmm...lastly, don't forget we have two giveaways still running. When Fangirls Lie is on its last ten hours - you get to chance to win either a $150 Amazon GC or a Kindle Fire HD. For the giveaway I'm co-sponsoring with Pepper Winters, you get to win either a free copy of Tears of Tess or a $50 Amazon GC. Not bad, right?

Well, that's it for now - just wanted to keep you all updated. And oh, here's the image quote CT Cover Creations made for NNL. Remember: sharing is sexy so do please share!

Pepper Winters - Author Interview and Giveaway

Here's my first author interview for the month - and I do mean first because I have other authors lined up. :)

Interviewing Pepper was fun - but alas, I didn't get so much info about Q. Huhuhu. I wish Quintessentially Q is out already!

But anyway here's the link to the interview - http://goo.gl/1E7BrD

And don't forget to join the giveaway! One eBook copy of Tears of Tess and a $50 Amazon GC at stake!

Good luck! :)

P.S. Here is a link to Tears of Tess in case you have not read it yet.

Pepper Winters

Newsletter No. 8 and Other News

So Newsletter #8 went out - and if you subscribed, then you would have been one of the first to see the covers and blurbs for Jason and Keanne as well as The Demon Duke and I. There was even an excerpt, too, for the latter - which I hope you enjoyed. Now, if you didn't get to read the newsletter, I've updated my books page with the blurbs. Just to be clear - TDDAI is an ADULT paranormal romance. Not YA, not NA, but adult! Because you have been asking for it! :)

Oh, and sometime this weekend, I'll share the covers here and on Facebook. Deal?

Fifty Shades - it's all over the news. The casting, I mean. I'll be honest - I really wanted it to be Alex Pettyfer. I had no idea who Charles Hunnam is initially and when I Googled him, the first images that came up were those from Sons of Anarchy (I have never watched the series but I'm planning to, mostly because it has Hellboy in it haha). So I was appalled - this bearded guy is Christian Grey??? Nooooo! Then I Googled more images of him and I'm like - oh. Give his hair a nice trim, lose the beard and he cleans up very nicely. As for Dakota Johnson - hehe, well, I'm not picky who plays Ana Steele. Because in my mind I am Anastasia Steele. Admit it - if you're a 50 Shades fan, too, then you're imagining the same thing, hohoho.

Nick and Lilac has been moved to Erotica. Just wanted to let you know that in case you're searching for it on other categories. Amazon has a new rule that titles in Erotica can only stay in Erotica. =D

Our giveaway is coming to a close. Thank you to the new fans, subscribers, followers and everyone else who just took the time to join. :) Hope you can all stay and take a chance on the books! :)

That's it for now. Till tomorrow! 

Happy News All Around

Like...the fact that Nick and Lilac went all the way to #250? I kid you not! See? I told you I wasn't lying. But sadly, the ranking's gone down since then but not so much - we're still in the Top 500 and I'm really psyched about that. :) 

And you know what's even more exciting - the fact that When Fangirls Cry has also made it to #500+ in overall rankings! I've never had two books rank this high at the same time. It's mind-blowing! I remember wishing if I could have 3 books make it to the Top 1000 simultaneously, then I'd die happy. Well, I'm close to making that come true and it's all up to you!

Now, I have to confess that for the major part of the day I've been struggling with my latest book, one that will start a whole new series. But then - this amazing miracle happened, like I've been nudged by God (Thank You, God!) and suddenly everything just clicked. So now, I suddenly have almost 15k words written for a novel - in just one night. How did this happen? I have 10k from an old unfinished MS and then a little over 3k with my new one. Merge them together and voila! Like I said, a miracle!

Another piece of good news - When Fangirls Lie's book blitz has started! And I've got over a thousand likes now for my FB page. That's awesome and we still have a few days more to go! Thank you for all those who joined the giveaway - and good luck!

More good news? Oh, sure - like the fact that my books may be soon available in paperback here in the Philippines. Alas, it won't be via bookstores but instead you'll have to order directly from my publisher. But hey, at least no worries about international shipping and no need to use a credit card. That's still something, right?

What else? Oh, we've got several authors lined up for interviews this month. Can't wait to share them with you - and they've giveaways, too!

Like I said, happy news all around - but...I feel guilty if I don't mention this. I just learned about the whole controversy over Goodreads reviews, which started apparently over author L.H. Then Nathan B. posted about it and this brought the controversy back to life. I have to be honest and say I really, really like Nathan B. He was one of my dream agents back in my querying days. And I really support the MESSAGE of his post. You can browse my older entries and I wrote a post on reviews as well. I've mentioned how one of my favorite reviews was a 3-star review for Drawn back then. Now, I'm going to share with you this link - which is a one-star review for WFL. I don't mind this review at all because I was the one who asked for it, the review's obviously honest and it's totally constructive! Basically, they're saying that WFL wasn't their cup of tea, and I understand - I will also have to say that it's only made me more determined to someday write a book that these girls will finally like. =D hehe, yeah, I'm stubbornly optimistic.

I will also have to say that I was recently super surprised at how nice GR reviewers / book bloggers are. There was one who said I had real talent, but she didn't like how my plots were formed so she'd rather not leave a review. Says I should just work harder. See? Really, really, really nice right? 

Another one also wrote to me saying she didn't like my book, but she didn't like leaving bad reviews so if it's okay with me she'll just add it to her DNF shelf. See? Super, super, super nice, right?

So in the end...I guess my point is that there will always be authors who give the entire writing community a bad name the same way that there will always be reviewers who'd also give all the other reviewers are a bad name. Those people - we really have to stand up to. But other than that, really - to each his / her own. :) 

The Busy Bee

Well...that would be me!

Being true to my promise, I've lined up a couple of interviews with some really nice authors - that you already adore! - for this month. :) I'm also going to interview the editor and cover artist that I've been working with for most of my recent books just to let you know how this part of the publishing process works. 

Nick and Lilac is doing really well so thank you for the support! I'm shocked as well by the feedback I've gotten for When Fangirls Cry so thank you for that as well. A lot of you have been asking about the story of Rathe Wellesley, the third Pussketeer - well, as long as we stick to the schedule then we'll have that one out November latest. *SQUEE* I am so excited to share his story!

Jason's story will come out next. The cover is finally done and I am just so excited to share it with you. Now, remember that Nick and Jason are twins so yes, I'm using the same cover model. Tee-hee. :)

I've finally uploaded a new chapter to The Morteia Chronicles - for those who are following this, do let me know what you think! I'm doing my best to keep to the original story line of VK but adding my own twists as well so that it's not just the usual fan fic.

Well, that's it for now - I need to start working on my books again after my weekend break. Till next time!

New Beginnings!

Well, for the blog at least.

I promised myself that I'd be more faithful in updating this blog come September - and well, hello September. You're here already! Now, on to some updates --- 

First of all, I'm really, really, really happy that Nick and Lilac is doing well on Amazon - I hope it continues to go all the way to the Top 100. Hahaha.  But really - thanks to all those who bought and thanks to those who took the time to review the book or tell me they've liked it. :)I'm also happy to say that Jason's story will be out September - which means this month. I just don't have an exact date yet. But what I do have is the cover and as soon as I get my publisher's go signal, you'll get to see it as well. The cover is another to-die-for design by Clarise of CT Cover Creations.When Fangirls Cry is also out. As always, this was a very emotional story for me to write, mostly because Saffi is one of my nicest characters - or at least that's how I think of her - and umm...I can't say anything else or I'll end up writing spoilers. 
I have the most amazing project for this month. It's my birthday month so I'm going to explore a WHOLE NEW WORLD with my next book. I'll share a teaser for my next newsletter. :) All I can say is that if you liked the Regency daydreams in Nick and Lilac, then you will like this one, too. :)I'm going to update The Morteia Chronicles later. I haven't forgotten about it - not to fear! :)Lastly, don't forget - we've got a giveaway scheduled on September 2 to 8 - this is a promotional blog tour for When Fangirls Lie. You should check it out because we have character interviews and a Kindle Fire or Amazon gift cards to offer! :) 

That's it for now! Till tomorrow!

Last Sneak Peek of When Fangirls Cry

So first of all - I'm sorry to those who recently posted comments on my Facebook page. As much as I'd like to answer right away, I had the most awful migraine last night - probably because of excessive writing and few hours of sleep in the past few weeks - and I just had to sleep it off. The result: I need to write my butt off now (woke up at 2AM) to make my deadline for the September books. So --- will chat with you girls next time. When I'm done writing. Sigh!

But --- I'm really, really happy with how Nick and Lilac is doing on Amazon! It's finally made it to the Top 5xx and I promised myself that if Nick and Lilac made it that far, I'm going to give you readers a present - and here it is: the final sneak peek of When Fangirls Cry! 

Thank you for supporting Nick & Lilac!!!

Enjoooooooooooooooooy the excerpt and let me know what you think! 

Saffi stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the trio of Pussketeers waiting outside, lounging against a stretch limousine parked directly in front of the venue’s main gate.

The man laughing out loud was Constantijin Kastein, the media tycoon and Netherlands’ #1 Playboy, golden-copper hair glinting under the moonlight. The man standing next to him spoke, and he looked up, his silver eyes glinting with knowing amusement as he looked at Saffi.

At that moment, Saffi could definitely understand why Yanna Everleigh, Constantijin’s fiancée, and millions of other women were so in love with him.

The man who had spoken to Constantijin was the one she had just recently met. But of course Saffi knew of Rathe Wellesley, and it wasn’t just because he was Staffan’s friend. Tall, with chestnut hair and piercing blue eyes, Rathe was said to be the epitome of the Iron Duke, who was his great-great-great-something-grandfather. He was also England’s #1 Heartthrob, a title that the coolly analytical Rathe had always despised.

            Rathe raised a brow at her, but his blue eyes were smirking, as if knowing something she didn’t.

            If she hadn’t been nervous earlier, Saffi was beyond nervous now. She took several deep breaths before allowing herself to meet the gaze of the last Pussketeer.

            Staffan Aehrenthal was leaning against the passenger door of the limo. He was freshly showered and wore a long-sleeved striped cotton sweater, slacks, and stylish-looking loafers. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at her.

            Saffi had curled her long dark hair for the occasion, and she matched the sexy-wild hairstyle with dark mascara on her eyes. She was wearing a cropped shirt that would have exposed her black bra if she raised her hand even an inch above her waist, and denim shorts so short that it had Staffan gritting his teeth while his cock immediately reacted in response to the sight, growing engorged beneath his pants.

            Ah fuck, only Saffi made him hot with fury and arousal at the same time.

            Saffi’s mind became a blank when she found all three Pussketeers gazing at her.

            Oh my God, how could she resist that?

            Staffan cursed, surprising his friends. But he had seen where Saffi’s hand was going and he knew exactly what she was planning. “Saffi,” he growled. “Don’t you dare---”

            She took out her iPhone, pressed the shortcut for camera, and took a snapshot of them. Then she quickly opened the photo using a social media app, the one that was linked to all her accounts. Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook –it made it easy to blast the message to the entire universe with a single click.

OMG. Staffan Aehrenthal with the two other Pussketeers in the house! #definelucky

            Saffi pressed the SEND button.

            “---post a photo.”

A clicking sound confirmed her post’s successful upload to the various social media accounts she managed as StarryEyed4SA, mere seconds before someone swiftly retrieved the iPhone from her hand. Saffi looked up and found herself locked in a circle of billionaires.

Two were grinning, one was scowling.

            “Saffi.” Staffan’s voice was quietly menacing.

            Saffi cringed. “I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry. The world needed to see---”

            “---anything except another goddamn photo of any of us.” Staffan growled the last word out, his fuck-me eyes blazing.

            “Sorry,” she mumbled, looking down. She heard Staffan sigh over her head, but no one else spoke. After a moment, Saffi was unable to bear the silence any longer. She cleared her throat. “Umm…what’s…the plan?”

            Staffan nodded.

Constantijin grinned.

Rathe sighed before taking off his pinstriped blazer. “Here you go, Saffi.” His voice was clear and dulcet, very duke-like if Saffi said so herself. Not that, she thought, she had met any other duke aside from Rathe.

            Looking inquiringly at Staffan and getting his nod of approval, she gingerly took the blazer from Rathe and put it on. She supposed Staffan didn’t want anyone to catch sight of her bare belly, which wasn’t really sexy at all. But – Saffi had no choice. She had promised Brittany that they’d dress like twins, and Brittany had unfortunately chosen to crop her I’m A Celsius Fan shirt ala Britney Spears during her teen years.

            “Sorry, Saffi, I lost the bet.”

            It was all the warning she had before Rathe bent and swept Saffi up to heft her over one broad shoulder.

            “Aah!”

            Camera bulbs flashed amidst hundreds of clicking sounds as Rathe started to walk towards the limousine, flanked by Constantijin and Staffan at each side. He said apologetically under his breath, “Constantijin cheated. He really should be the one doing this.”

            Constantijin retorted, “I did not cheat, Your Grace. You just suck at poker. You always did.”

            Ignoring that, Rathe told Saffi, “You two should just admit to your relationship.”

            “Not just yet,” Saffi protested. “The other fangirls would be crushed.”

            “Saffi, my dear,” the duke murmured as he bent down to deposit her inside his limousine, “Can’t you see that Staffan’s already crushed every other woman’s heart since he met you?”

            Startled, she looked at Rathe. Then she looked over her shoulder and saw Staffan gazing at her. His eyes burned with a desire that was only for her, and beyond him were his fans, heartbreak written all over their faces.Once upon a time,Staffan Aehrenthal had not just been Sweden’s #1 Sex God. He had also been Mr. Fucktastic, a rockstar who had been famous for doing it with a different fangirl, groupie, or just about any hot chick he fancied after every concert. There were rumors that he could even please multiple women all at the same time, and Saffi knew from painful experience that it was true.

            That it had been true.

            Staffan was the last to get inside the limousine, and the moment the door was shut closed, he growled, “Come here.” He was almost rough in his need to get to Saffi, and the moment he had her on his lap, he took a fistful of her beautiful silky hair and pulled her head down to kiss her.

            Saffi’s arms went around his neck, kissing him back just as hungrily. There would never ever be a day she would tire of it, Saffi was sure, not even when she was eighty and unable to scream his name whenever his song would play on the radio.

            When Staffan lifted his head, she smiled up at him dreamily.

            He smiled back. “So, koukla mou, another lie?”

            Diabolical dottyback.

            “Err---”

            “Was sick Aunt Brittany’s last dying wish to watch Celsius and wear a shirt that could pass as underwear?” He suddenly looked like he wanted to strangle her. “Did you fucking forget one of your beloved fangirls almost got away with throwing acid on your face? Did you fucking forget that the last time you held a mini fan convention, those fucking Celsius fans went on attack like rabid dogs and almost beat you up? Did you FUCKING forget any of those?”

            Her normally agile mind failed to come up with an answer that would appease Staffan’s temper. “Umm, I fucking didn’t?” She whispered the words, hoping to make Staffan smile.

            A muscle started ticking near Staffan’s tightly clenched jaw.

            Constantijin and Rathe were coughing.

            She said in a weaker voice, “Super oh-my-god I-can’t-believe-I-lied I’m sorry?”

What I Owe You

A big thanks for one thing! :) 
Nick and Lilac is live on Amazon - the cover isn't showing up, but I'm grateful people are still checking it out and buying the books. It's in the Top 2k now so hopefully ranking will go even higher when its beautiful cover goes live. I'm also grateful that some of you have taken the time to review the book - that means a lot. You guys know who you are - thank you for that!!!

Sequels!Warning: Love Moderately will have its sequel out September or October!When Fangirls Cry will be out this monthEvren 2 will be out this year
More blog posts - Starting September I'm going to update my site dailyI'll post 1 recommendation per author - if an author shows up on my recommendation list, that means I love all HER / HIS books. The book recommendation may just happen to be my favorite or the one I read most recently.Quick Tips - This will be a series of tips posted on my writing blog and targets those who have just started developing their craft or pursuing their love for writing. If you want to get published and want to know how to self-edit and polish your work, these quick tips will be of help.Updates - I'll keep you posted on where I am with my various books.
Morteia Chronicles - I know I promised monthly updates and I'll make it up September! 4 chapters or you get 

Let's all be happy!

Today, I'm going to go all emo on you guys because I am sooooooooooooo very happy.  It's really not because I did something super great or that I'm expecting something great to happen to me. Mostly, it's because all around me such exciting things are happening to the people I know and really like and respect and I'm just so happy for them! I see endless opportunities and the loveliest and brightest future ahead of them. 

I want to thank God because He's made everyone so happy. At first, I kept trying to come up with just ONE WORD to express how happy, grateful, blessed, and excited I am about what's happening. But in the end, I realized that there's no one word to say all those things. What does exist is ONE WAY to return God's blessings and that's by doing what you can to help other people or just make other people smile. :) Yeah just like that - =D 

Now I'm going out on a limb here by sharing with you what makes me happy. 

You often read other authors saying that they never thought they'd make it to the NYT Bestsellers List, have their film adapted, never thought they'd get to be this super famous author...

You hear that a lot, right? BUT you only hear them say those things when it's already happened. :) 

Well, now, let's just say I'm going to jump the gun and share with you what I've always, always wanted since I started having my books published on Amazon. I want to make  my books to make it to Amazon's Top 100. I want my books to eventually reach the NYT / USA Today Bestseller Lists. 

Right now, the dream's like the lyrics from some old song --- "...so near yet so far."

And I know, a lot of people - especially those who don't like my books (we can't please everyone alas) --- will think that I'm just deluding myself into thinking that's gonna be possible. And you know, I get it. I know I'm not the best author out there. My heroines cry too much, my heroes are such asses, my plots are just so shallow not even an ant's gonna drown in it - yes, yes, I get it. 
Also, I'm not even a native English speaker and most times, I don't get my books edited before it goes live coz I ended up cramming again. 
But - I love my work. I love writing, I love sharing my stories and making everyone feel good about love and life, and I make sure to improve with every book I put out. I can't promise that I'll change the way my stories work (that's impossible, actually, since I'm a very optimistic person and that's why my heroines are bordering on naive all the time) - but I do take everyone's criticisms into account and you won't ever see me getting into a mud-slinging match because of what this author / reader / blogger said. In the end, I respect people's right to say what they want, 'nuff said.

I also do my best to support other authors and everyone around me. I love my readers and I take the time to thank them because they've taken the time to read my books and even chat with me even though they probably have tons of better things to do.

And...this may seem odd for someone who writes really smutty romances, but I consider myself a pretty devout Catholic (Christian if you will) and I really, really believe that whatever you ask of God, He'll give. 

So...with all the exciting things going on around me, I just can't help but think that...maybe...maybe one day soon...I'm going to see MY NAME on Amazon's Top 100. If not with my most recent upcoming book then the one after that or the one after that. I just have to keep trying, right? I think that's all God wants from us. That WE DON'T GIVE UP. We all have to keep trying to reach for our dreams so what do you say about trying... Here's to hoping we all have a fun and productive week ahead of us! Aaand to end on a happy note, here's the updated cover for Nick and Lilac!