A.J. Sand's Blog, page 7
March 24, 2013
SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK
Like Tuesday teasers, but earlier! ;)
From "Remake":
She squealed when he bumped her with his bare pelvis. “Hey, put that thing away before you start knocking stuff off the counter.”
He reached for a towel on the rack and wrapped it around his waist. “Try 'knocking down the walls…'”
From "Recklessly":
“Brody’s not that bad, Wes.”
“Once you stick a ‘that’ in there, you effectively let me compare him to whatever I want…” Wes tilted his head until Brody was in his line of sight and aimed an arrogant smirk at him before returning his gaze to Lana. “…Like, say, getting your dick caught in a meat grinder. So yes, comparatively, he’s not that bad.”
From "Remake":
She squealed when he bumped her with his bare pelvis. “Hey, put that thing away before you start knocking stuff off the counter.”
He reached for a towel on the rack and wrapped it around his waist. “Try 'knocking down the walls…'”
From "Recklessly":
“Brody’s not that bad, Wes.”
“Once you stick a ‘that’ in there, you effectively let me compare him to whatever I want…” Wes tilted his head until Brody was in his line of sight and aimed an arrogant smirk at him before returning his gaze to Lana. “…Like, say, getting your dick caught in a meat grinder. So yes, comparatively, he’s not that bad.”
March 22, 2013
"Documentary" giveaway over at Three Chicks and Their Books
Hey guys,
The gals at Three Chicks and Their Books are helping me give away an e-book copy of "Documentary" on their Facebook page. It's pinned right at the top.
So if you're mulling over whether or not to read it or you want to win it and give it to someone else, please feel free to enter!
A.J.
The gals at Three Chicks and Their Books are helping me give away an e-book copy of "Documentary" on their Facebook page. It's pinned right at the top.
So if you're mulling over whether or not to read it or you want to win it and give it to someone else, please feel free to enter!
A.J.
March 19, 2013
WESLEY WEDNESDAY -Recklessly peek
Recklessly is going to have a pretty close release to Remake, I think. Anyway, here's a little piece to stew on:
“She’s in…um…her kidneys…it’s…” Abel, flustered, fumbled with the bottom edge of his t-shirt, unable to meet Wes’ eyes. It was obvious he was crying and he just didn’t want Wes to know right away.
“Renal failure,” Wes said flatly before he surveyed the unfamiliar faces in the hospital waiting room. “Her kidneys aren’t filtering toxins out like they’re supposed to.” He was sure Abel knew this already; Wes was stating it entirely for his own benefit. Maybe his own punishment.
“Man, she tested positive for…cocaine.” Abel finally looked up with puffy, bloodshot eyes. “They said sometimes it makes you go into hypo…no…uh…hyperthermia. Her body overheated.” He pressed his palms against his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re here again. Today took me right back to—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Wes’ curt tone silenced Abel, and he was squeezing his fists so hard that his fingers went numb. He would’ve given anything to have it spread through the rest of him right now. “So, I guess her parents are here?” Abel nodded, holding his solemn expression. “Great.”
How could he face them right now? Wes drew his keys from his pocket. Rage was a vise on his chest, and since he couldn’t toss any of the screwed-down chairs across the room, he flung his keys instead. He had never before felt hate like this, for anybody; yet, all he wanted to do was hold her, bury his face in her hair and tell her how he would fix it.
“Wesley, this isn’t your fault. It’s not your—”
“Don’t.” Wes held his palms out toward Abel as a warning as he clenched his jaw. He had to calm down or he would take out his anger undeservedly on his brother. “I kinda need you to walk away right now. You didn’t do anything…I just…”
Hurt flared in Abel’s eyes for just a blink before calm took over—as much calm as one could have in a hospital setting. “I got it, bro,” he said, but his tone was unconvincing as he squeezed Wes’ shoulder twice. “Call me, okay?”
“Yeah....” Under the concerned and probably fearful eyes of everyone in the waiting room, Wes went to retrieve his keys. Then, he only got as far as the other side of one of the motion-sensor exits before he doubled over from exhaustion and shock, planting his hands on his knees for support.
“Hey, you okay?”
Wes wasn’t a crier, so he suppressed the burn in his chest with the strength he could muster, but he couldn’t control how hard his shoulders were shaking. It felt like he couldn’t breathe quickly enough to sustain his existence. Every time he took a breath in, the world seemed ready to rip it back out of him just as the air crossed his lips. Everything else was being taken away, too, so it seemed fitting. Did he need to pray? Shit. He didn’t do that, either. So he grunted and growled at the ground until the sound coming out of his singed throat stopped.
“Hey. Excuse me…”
Wes turned his head and flushed with embarrassment when he noticed the woman standing next to him. He probably looked crazy. “Are you okay...stupid question, but human nature," she said.
Wes slowly stood upright and was unsure of whether to shake his head or nod, so he did neither.
"I saw you earlier…with your brother...you were carrying that girl,” she continued. She pulled the shroud of her thick, dark brown curls away from her face and smiled with compassion before offering a cigarette. He hadn’t smoked since he was twelve, but he took it, and he even let her light it. “I know it’s a stimulant, but it calms me down. I usually need it when I come see how my dad’s doing. You look like you need one, too. Shannon.” She pointed at herself before pulling a couple tissues from her purse and waving them at him. “And you’re bleeding. Right above your eye.”
“Wesley, and thanks.” He dabbed at one of his eyebrows and winced from the sting. He hadn’t even noticed he was hurt, but the memory of colliding with a door earlier suddenly poured in. “Is it bad?”
Shannon shrugged. “Shouldn’t be if you couldn’t feel it.” Then she smiled. “No, that’s not necessarily true, but I don’t think you’ll die or… Shit, probably not the best word to use at a place like this, huh? Sorry.”
He agreed in silence, but Wes shrugged and stared at the light shade of blood on the tissue. Now that he was aware of the cut, the pain was manageable but seemed to be intensifying. He suspected that this would be the most unscathed he’d be when this was all over.
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is your girlfriend gonna be okay?”
Crushing the tissue, Wes hauled in a long drag from the cigarette after he shook his head. “She’s not…no.”
“She’s in…um…her kidneys…it’s…” Abel, flustered, fumbled with the bottom edge of his t-shirt, unable to meet Wes’ eyes. It was obvious he was crying and he just didn’t want Wes to know right away.
“Renal failure,” Wes said flatly before he surveyed the unfamiliar faces in the hospital waiting room. “Her kidneys aren’t filtering toxins out like they’re supposed to.” He was sure Abel knew this already; Wes was stating it entirely for his own benefit. Maybe his own punishment.
“Man, she tested positive for…cocaine.” Abel finally looked up with puffy, bloodshot eyes. “They said sometimes it makes you go into hypo…no…uh…hyperthermia. Her body overheated.” He pressed his palms against his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re here again. Today took me right back to—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Wes’ curt tone silenced Abel, and he was squeezing his fists so hard that his fingers went numb. He would’ve given anything to have it spread through the rest of him right now. “So, I guess her parents are here?” Abel nodded, holding his solemn expression. “Great.”
How could he face them right now? Wes drew his keys from his pocket. Rage was a vise on his chest, and since he couldn’t toss any of the screwed-down chairs across the room, he flung his keys instead. He had never before felt hate like this, for anybody; yet, all he wanted to do was hold her, bury his face in her hair and tell her how he would fix it.
“Wesley, this isn’t your fault. It’s not your—”
“Don’t.” Wes held his palms out toward Abel as a warning as he clenched his jaw. He had to calm down or he would take out his anger undeservedly on his brother. “I kinda need you to walk away right now. You didn’t do anything…I just…”
Hurt flared in Abel’s eyes for just a blink before calm took over—as much calm as one could have in a hospital setting. “I got it, bro,” he said, but his tone was unconvincing as he squeezed Wes’ shoulder twice. “Call me, okay?”
“Yeah....” Under the concerned and probably fearful eyes of everyone in the waiting room, Wes went to retrieve his keys. Then, he only got as far as the other side of one of the motion-sensor exits before he doubled over from exhaustion and shock, planting his hands on his knees for support.
“Hey, you okay?”
Wes wasn’t a crier, so he suppressed the burn in his chest with the strength he could muster, but he couldn’t control how hard his shoulders were shaking. It felt like he couldn’t breathe quickly enough to sustain his existence. Every time he took a breath in, the world seemed ready to rip it back out of him just as the air crossed his lips. Everything else was being taken away, too, so it seemed fitting. Did he need to pray? Shit. He didn’t do that, either. So he grunted and growled at the ground until the sound coming out of his singed throat stopped.
“Hey. Excuse me…”
Wes turned his head and flushed with embarrassment when he noticed the woman standing next to him. He probably looked crazy. “Are you okay...stupid question, but human nature," she said.
Wes slowly stood upright and was unsure of whether to shake his head or nod, so he did neither.
"I saw you earlier…with your brother...you were carrying that girl,” she continued. She pulled the shroud of her thick, dark brown curls away from her face and smiled with compassion before offering a cigarette. He hadn’t smoked since he was twelve, but he took it, and he even let her light it. “I know it’s a stimulant, but it calms me down. I usually need it when I come see how my dad’s doing. You look like you need one, too. Shannon.” She pointed at herself before pulling a couple tissues from her purse and waving them at him. “And you’re bleeding. Right above your eye.”
“Wesley, and thanks.” He dabbed at one of his eyebrows and winced from the sting. He hadn’t even noticed he was hurt, but the memory of colliding with a door earlier suddenly poured in. “Is it bad?”
Shannon shrugged. “Shouldn’t be if you couldn’t feel it.” Then she smiled. “No, that’s not necessarily true, but I don’t think you’ll die or… Shit, probably not the best word to use at a place like this, huh? Sorry.”
He agreed in silence, but Wes shrugged and stared at the light shade of blood on the tissue. Now that he was aware of the cut, the pain was manageable but seemed to be intensifying. He suspected that this would be the most unscathed he’d be when this was all over.
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is your girlfriend gonna be okay?”
Crushing the tissue, Wes hauled in a long drag from the cigarette after he shook his head. “She’s not…no.”
March 16, 2013
HAPPY SATURDAY!
Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to review and/or rate "Documentary" recently. Not even a month ago, I was trying to get to 200 ratings and we're at like 350. That's pretty freaking awesome.
And I actually do read them, even though they say you shouldn't (I'm not a masochist LOL, just super nosy and not sensitive about my writing, like, at all...I dunno if you've noticed the name of my blog lol), and I've seen them all across the board. Not a bad thing, obviously! My view on reviews, as it is with most things in life, is live and let live.
Anyway, it's important to me to thank you to death (and I just might) because people read tons of books a week (I'm probably at like 3 or 4 on a slow week) and never say anything about them when they're done. They don't tell their friends, they don't rate it, they feel nothing, and sometimes they just say "F this" and delete it from their devices. "Documentary" totally might have been that book for you LOL, but if you did take the time to rate it or review it, no matter your feelings, thank you!
A.J., who never STFU.
And I actually do read them, even though they say you shouldn't (I'm not a masochist LOL, just super nosy and not sensitive about my writing, like, at all...I dunno if you've noticed the name of my blog lol), and I've seen them all across the board. Not a bad thing, obviously! My view on reviews, as it is with most things in life, is live and let live.
Anyway, it's important to me to thank you to death (and I just might) because people read tons of books a week (I'm probably at like 3 or 4 on a slow week) and never say anything about them when they're done. They don't tell their friends, they don't rate it, they feel nothing, and sometimes they just say "F this" and delete it from their devices. "Documentary" totally might have been that book for you LOL, but if you did take the time to rate it or review it, no matter your feelings, thank you!
A.J., who never STFU.
March 14, 2013
From Wesley Wednesday
ICYMI on Page Trotters, my last story for 2013, probs, is called "Recklessly." It's Wes Elliott's story.
BLURB:
Wes Elliott just met his match…and she might actually burn his entire world down.
Surfing and sex. This is Wes Elliott's life. And it's just the way he likes it. `
After seeing his parents stay in a loveless marriage his entire life, and burying away a heartbreak from his past, he knows where romance is best left: crappy chick movies. He'd rather lust and eventually leave, and that's exactly what the plan was when he met Lana Langston.
Except…turns out she’s only in it for the thrills, too. She's always only in it for the thrills: life in the literal fast lane on her motorcycle, and the hot nights in forbidden places without the awkward talks in the mornings after. She's Wes Elliott in way tighter jeans.
So, this should be perfect, right?
But the more time Wes spends with her, the more he wants the nights to turn into mornings. And maybe even longer.
Suddenly, it isn't so perfect for him anymore.
And the things he thought were buried are digging themselves up.
Now Wes is in a lot of trouble.
He’s falling in love with the one girl who might be a bigger risk than even a guy who gets barreled by the most dangerous waves in the world is willing to take on.
Can Wes and Lana figure out a way to make it work? Or is he headed for something far more reckless?
TEASER
“Who’s he?” Wes asked, ticking his chin up at the guy Lana had been talking to earlier.
With hands on hips, she pivoted to look behind her for a second. “Him? Just Clark. But that’s not what you want to know, is it?” She draped her arms over his shoulders and pushed her body against his so suddenly that he fell back against the wall. The impact, though light, sparked a memory of a few nights before…and this same wall. The cuts on his upper back and shoulders, left by her fingernails, tingled. It didn’t take long for his jeans to feel tighter in the front.
“W-w-what do I want to know?” he said breathlessly.
Wes shuddered when Lana licked the outer curve of his ear. “You want to know…if I ever let him bend me over the furniture, and whether I left scratches on his back, too.” Her hand slipped beneath his shirt, and she tapped up his abs with her fingers. He growled out of lust or anger, or some toxic combination of them both; he wasn’t sure. But that was Lana. She never let him feel one without the other. Wes’ blood made a dizzying rush to his brain as his gaze ripped across the room, back to Clark.
Lana pressed her tongue and then her lips into his cheek before whispering, “Yes. And…yes.”
*Spring 2013*
If "Remake" is a spin-off and "next book" of "Documentary," "Recklessly" is like a close friend. No, it's not erotica.
BLURB:
Wes Elliott just met his match…and she might actually burn his entire world down.
Surfing and sex. This is Wes Elliott's life. And it's just the way he likes it. `
After seeing his parents stay in a loveless marriage his entire life, and burying away a heartbreak from his past, he knows where romance is best left: crappy chick movies. He'd rather lust and eventually leave, and that's exactly what the plan was when he met Lana Langston.
Except…turns out she’s only in it for the thrills, too. She's always only in it for the thrills: life in the literal fast lane on her motorcycle, and the hot nights in forbidden places without the awkward talks in the mornings after. She's Wes Elliott in way tighter jeans.
So, this should be perfect, right?
But the more time Wes spends with her, the more he wants the nights to turn into mornings. And maybe even longer.
Suddenly, it isn't so perfect for him anymore.
And the things he thought were buried are digging themselves up.
Now Wes is in a lot of trouble.
He’s falling in love with the one girl who might be a bigger risk than even a guy who gets barreled by the most dangerous waves in the world is willing to take on.
Can Wes and Lana figure out a way to make it work? Or is he headed for something far more reckless?
TEASER
“Who’s he?” Wes asked, ticking his chin up at the guy Lana had been talking to earlier.
With hands on hips, she pivoted to look behind her for a second. “Him? Just Clark. But that’s not what you want to know, is it?” She draped her arms over his shoulders and pushed her body against his so suddenly that he fell back against the wall. The impact, though light, sparked a memory of a few nights before…and this same wall. The cuts on his upper back and shoulders, left by her fingernails, tingled. It didn’t take long for his jeans to feel tighter in the front.
“W-w-what do I want to know?” he said breathlessly.
Wes shuddered when Lana licked the outer curve of his ear. “You want to know…if I ever let him bend me over the furniture, and whether I left scratches on his back, too.” Her hand slipped beneath his shirt, and she tapped up his abs with her fingers. He growled out of lust or anger, or some toxic combination of them both; he wasn’t sure. But that was Lana. She never let him feel one without the other. Wes’ blood made a dizzying rush to his brain as his gaze ripped across the room, back to Clark.
Lana pressed her tongue and then her lips into his cheek before whispering, “Yes. And…yes.”
*Spring 2013*
If "Remake" is a spin-off and "next book" of "Documentary," "Recklessly" is like a close friend. No, it's not erotica.
March 12, 2013
HEEEEY WES ELLIOTT FANS....
Wanna see something cool? Like the cover to "Recklessly"?
Want more?
Like the whole thing?
And maybe get the blurb AND a teaser?
Well, then I suggest you keep an eye on Page Trotters.
'Cause you might get allllll of that.
Today.
Now.
HUGE thanks to Page Trotters for doing the cover reveal AND the entire blog post. Yay!! <3!!
Want more?
Like the whole thing?
And maybe get the blurb AND a teaser?
Well, then I suggest you keep an eye on Page Trotters.
'Cause you might get allllll of that.
Today.
Now.
HUGE thanks to Page Trotters for doing the cover reveal AND the entire blog post. Yay!! <3!!
March 11, 2013
Thanks, U.K.!!
I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who got "Documentary" in the U.K. Kindle Store. So many people were picking up "Documentary" over the weekend, that the U.K. Kindle twitter feed noted that it was #9 on the "Movers and Shakers" list after making a pretty huge jump.
So awesome!! Thank you for reading it and sharing it with your friends. The first person who EVER sent me an email about the story was a really sweet woman from the U.K.
March 10, 2013
What's next after "Remake"... or when A.J. rambles like a crazy person
In the off chance you're wondering this, it's Wes' story and most likely my last piece of writing for 2013. Why? Writing fatigue. I wish I were someone who could just write and write stories but, unfortunately, I'm not.
I will say absolutely nothing about a release date for "Recklessly."(You see that title and you can already tell what kind of book it's going to be though LOL).
Then I'll take a break. Regroup. And see what's next for me. I'm unveiling a synopsis, teaser and cover for "Recklessly" hopefully through one of my blogger friends after "Remake."
And no... it's not erotica. I want Wes to have TONS of sex because...SEX... but it's not erotica. One of the reasons I prefer writing some detailed sex scenes is because I personally don't like fade to black sex scenes in my writing. I'd want to write the sex in compulsively, and that's just me, I guess. People have their opinions about sex in books, but I can tell you, I'll always, at the least, describe it in one scene. It's a beautiful act and I like the idea of two people coming together (no pun intended) in that way.
I dunno. I guess genres are all bleeding into each other these days. But I don't think it's erotica. I have nothing against erotica. Reading about sex is awesome. Writing it is so freaking awesome. I just don't think I write enough of it in my stuff for it to be erotica.
I'm still in my twenties (though in the latter half), so I still remember what it's like to be a train wreck early on in adulthood,* quite specifically the parts where you're just so young, foolish, crazy and horny, but think you know everything there is to know about life, even though you've been out from under your parents' watchful eye for a handful of years.
I have cousins who are late teens and early twenties right now who are learning about love and relationships and heartbreak and the mess of it all.
So this is that book. The one you'll either love or hate (well, technically, that's EVERY book). It IS called "Recklessly" LOL. So "Remake" toward the end of April and "Recklessly" sometime after that.
Well, that's my rambling. And schedule of sorts.
*Before anyone yells at me for the generalization, most of you probably managed/are managing to navigate your late teens/early 20's like champs. There are people who have really been on their own since they were teens. Me and my friends DID NOT come close to managing anything well, and we laugh about this now until we're in tears. I have stories.
I will say absolutely nothing about a release date for "Recklessly."(You see that title and you can already tell what kind of book it's going to be though LOL).
Then I'll take a break. Regroup. And see what's next for me. I'm unveiling a synopsis, teaser and cover for "Recklessly" hopefully through one of my blogger friends after "Remake."
And no... it's not erotica. I want Wes to have TONS of sex because...SEX... but it's not erotica. One of the reasons I prefer writing some detailed sex scenes is because I personally don't like fade to black sex scenes in my writing. I'd want to write the sex in compulsively, and that's just me, I guess. People have their opinions about sex in books, but I can tell you, I'll always, at the least, describe it in one scene. It's a beautiful act and I like the idea of two people coming together (no pun intended) in that way.
I dunno. I guess genres are all bleeding into each other these days. But I don't think it's erotica. I have nothing against erotica. Reading about sex is awesome. Writing it is so freaking awesome. I just don't think I write enough of it in my stuff for it to be erotica.
I'm still in my twenties (though in the latter half), so I still remember what it's like to be a train wreck early on in adulthood,* quite specifically the parts where you're just so young, foolish, crazy and horny, but think you know everything there is to know about life, even though you've been out from under your parents' watchful eye for a handful of years.
I have cousins who are late teens and early twenties right now who are learning about love and relationships and heartbreak and the mess of it all.
So this is that book. The one you'll either love or hate (well, technically, that's EVERY book). It IS called "Recklessly" LOL. So "Remake" toward the end of April and "Recklessly" sometime after that.
Well, that's my rambling. And schedule of sorts.
*Before anyone yells at me for the generalization, most of you probably managed/are managing to navigate your late teens/early 20's like champs. There are people who have really been on their own since they were teens. Me and my friends DID NOT come close to managing anything well, and we laugh about this now until we're in tears. I have stories.
March 7, 2013
March 6, 2013
SNEAK PEEK AT CHAPTER ONE!!!!
Not kidding when I said "grande," so I broke it up.
FYI this isn't the start of the chapter, in case you were wondering.
Part I: Remake Chapter 1, part 1
If you already read it when I posted it earlier, here's:
Part II: Remake Chapter 1, part 2
FYI this isn't the start of the chapter, in case you were wondering.
Part I: Remake Chapter 1, part 1
If you already read it when I posted it earlier, here's:
Part II: Remake Chapter 1, part 2
