A.J. Sand's Blog, page 8
March 4, 2013
Remake tentative release!
Like every other woman, I'm counting down to "Walking Disaster" b/c once I start reading it, writing isn't going to happen LOL. Blame Travis Maddox.
So, I *plan* to be *done* by April 2nd. With release about two weeks (April 17th or 18th) after, unless something incredibly unexpected (and bad) happens. I hope everyone can hang on until then! =)
And no Tuesday Teasers this week, but we're so close to 200 ratings on here (194 as of this post) that maybe you'll get that sneak peek at chapter one before the week is over anyhow because it's ready for your eyes! =)
So, I *plan* to be *done* by April 2nd. With release about two weeks (April 17th or 18th) after, unless something incredibly unexpected (and bad) happens. I hope everyone can hang on until then! =)
And no Tuesday Teasers this week, but we're so close to 200 ratings on here (194 as of this post) that maybe you'll get that sneak peek at chapter one before the week is over anyhow because it's ready for your eyes! =)
March 1, 2013
"Remake" Synopsis
I have a synopsis for you (finally):
"Erica's charmed life changed in an instant with a devastating act of betrayal.
And so with her secret, she ran. From everything and everyone, including the person she loved most in the world.
Now she's back to take control of the life she left behind, even if she's doing so with a lot of uncertainty. And even as that event from the past still hangs over her, unresolved.
But Erica knows a thing or two about survival.
She just wished she knew what to do about Bryson Ellis, the guy who has her heart but doesn't know her secret, and Matt Corso, the one who knows her secret and may want her heart.
Yet just when her life slowly comes together in other ways, she suddenly finds her strength tested again.
But this time...
She's ready.
And she won't run.
This follow-up to "Documentary" picks up with a new point of view in a story about what it means to love, forgive and never back down.
But it's also one woman's chance to remake herself.
This is NA fiction. Due to the sexual content, language and violence, this work is not recommended for readers under 17."
By the way, Wesley Elliott, who is my favorite character (which in the long run, I'm not sure is a good thing for him LOL), is *probably* up next. New story. Not related to anything in Documentary and Remake. Wes' story has been bugging me for weeks now, and it's totally slowing down getting Remake done.
"Erica's charmed life changed in an instant with a devastating act of betrayal.
And so with her secret, she ran. From everything and everyone, including the person she loved most in the world.
Now she's back to take control of the life she left behind, even if she's doing so with a lot of uncertainty. And even as that event from the past still hangs over her, unresolved.
But Erica knows a thing or two about survival.
She just wished she knew what to do about Bryson Ellis, the guy who has her heart but doesn't know her secret, and Matt Corso, the one who knows her secret and may want her heart.
Yet just when her life slowly comes together in other ways, she suddenly finds her strength tested again.
But this time...
She's ready.
And she won't run.
This follow-up to "Documentary" picks up with a new point of view in a story about what it means to love, forgive and never back down.
But it's also one woman's chance to remake herself.
This is NA fiction. Due to the sexual content, language and violence, this work is not recommended for readers under 17."
By the way, Wesley Elliott, who is my favorite character (which in the long run, I'm not sure is a good thing for him LOL), is *probably* up next. New story. Not related to anything in Documentary and Remake. Wes' story has been bugging me for weeks now, and it's totally slowing down getting Remake done.
February 25, 2013
TEASERPALOOZA - #2
Welcome back to Teaserpalooza! Between my blog and Good Reads, last week's teasers got pretty decent views (before I accidentally deleted lol). I hope they were enjoyable.
I posted these on Facebook on Sunday, so if you read them there, these are the same ones. I just shared it with the Facebook folks first.
Anyway, I don't know if I've made it clear before, but I'm CRAY CRAY for Abbi Glines, and I want to dig into "Never Too Far" the rest of the week, so I plan to be absent LOL. Please accept these teasers a day early as my apology for not responding to anything until I'm done reading. Me and everyone else ever, probably! =) So excited!
So anyway, here they are! And if you want to see part of chapter one, please rate "Documentary" on GoodReads, whether you loved, liked, were like 'meh, AJ, meh' or 'omg, ugh.' Once we're at 200, you'll get a huge sneak peek at "Remake."
Teaser #1) A little reminder- Abel is one half of the Elliott twins.
"Abe..." Erica said as she laid her head on his shoulder. "...Do you think love is really big enough to conquer anything?"
Abel rested his head against hers. "Nope. But it sure as hell makes you want to try."
Teaser #2)
A little reminder - Naomi is Erica's sister. Hayden is Naomi's fiance'. Fitz is Hayden's younger brother.
Naomi was screaming and tears fell in rivulets down her cheeks as she continued to hit him; Fitz shielded himself with his arms.
“Naomi! Stop!” Erica’s numbness finally faded, and she yanked her flailing sister away from him and dumped her into Hayden’s arms when he barreled into the room. Dylan and Kai were right on his heels. Naomi wailed as she collapsed against her fiancé.
“Time and time again, I have defended you as a person! But you are exactly what everyone says about you!” Naomi shouted at Fitz.
“What happened? What did you do, Fitz?” Hayden demanded.
“Me?! Me?!” Fitz’s face was completely red, and he was seething. “Your future wife is a fucking psycho!”
Teaser #3)
“We’re going to play a game,” she said. “I’m going to start at your neck with my tongue and work my way down…” Erica drew her fingers over the board of muscles on his abdomen, and he shuddered, softly grabbing the back of her neck.
“Okay, so what’s the catch?” he asked breathlessly.
“The catch is…you have to be quiet. I start over every time you make a sound.” Erica pumped out a quick grin when his eyes widened. This was going to be fun.
“How low are you willing to go?”
“How long can you be quiet?”
Hope you liked them! Until next time! I've got one more set for you. Now, time for me to read another Abbi Glines book in the Southern accent of the Southern belle that lives inside of me lol =)
I posted these on Facebook on Sunday, so if you read them there, these are the same ones. I just shared it with the Facebook folks first.
Anyway, I don't know if I've made it clear before, but I'm CRAY CRAY for Abbi Glines, and I want to dig into "Never Too Far" the rest of the week, so I plan to be absent LOL. Please accept these teasers a day early as my apology for not responding to anything until I'm done reading. Me and everyone else ever, probably! =) So excited!
So anyway, here they are! And if you want to see part of chapter one, please rate "Documentary" on GoodReads, whether you loved, liked, were like 'meh, AJ, meh' or 'omg, ugh.' Once we're at 200, you'll get a huge sneak peek at "Remake."
Teaser #1) A little reminder- Abel is one half of the Elliott twins.
"Abe..." Erica said as she laid her head on his shoulder. "...Do you think love is really big enough to conquer anything?"
Abel rested his head against hers. "Nope. But it sure as hell makes you want to try."
Teaser #2)
A little reminder - Naomi is Erica's sister. Hayden is Naomi's fiance'. Fitz is Hayden's younger brother.
Naomi was screaming and tears fell in rivulets down her cheeks as she continued to hit him; Fitz shielded himself with his arms.
“Naomi! Stop!” Erica’s numbness finally faded, and she yanked her flailing sister away from him and dumped her into Hayden’s arms when he barreled into the room. Dylan and Kai were right on his heels. Naomi wailed as she collapsed against her fiancé.
“Time and time again, I have defended you as a person! But you are exactly what everyone says about you!” Naomi shouted at Fitz.
“What happened? What did you do, Fitz?” Hayden demanded.
“Me?! Me?!” Fitz’s face was completely red, and he was seething. “Your future wife is a fucking psycho!”
Teaser #3)
“We’re going to play a game,” she said. “I’m going to start at your neck with my tongue and work my way down…” Erica drew her fingers over the board of muscles on his abdomen, and he shuddered, softly grabbing the back of her neck.
“Okay, so what’s the catch?” he asked breathlessly.
“The catch is…you have to be quiet. I start over every time you make a sound.” Erica pumped out a quick grin when his eyes widened. This was going to be fun.
“How low are you willing to go?”
“How long can you be quiet?”
Hope you liked them! Until next time! I've got one more set for you. Now, time for me to read another Abbi Glines book in the Southern accent of the Southern belle that lives inside of me lol =)
February 23, 2013
Scandal, Antiheroes and Bad Behavior in Entertainment
A few weeks ago, I read about Shonda Rhimes, writer/creator extraordinaire of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and my current favorite, Scandal, which this post focuses on, where she responded to Star Jones's critical tweet (at her) about why Olivia Pope continues her relationship with President Fitzgerald Grant even though he's married with kids when there are so many other guys available. And Shonda Rhimes said this and I LOVED IT.
I think Scandal is genius: the main romance is not traditional, and even outside of Fitz and Olivia's adulterous relationship, Shonda Rhimes is attempting to make us root for people who do really bad and morally questionable things all the time (Olivia's entire PR team) with often little in the matter of punitive consequences for their behavior. It's all so deliciously wrong. AND I LOVE IT. She's not the first to do it, but it's definitely the one everyone's talking about.
(Abbi Glines' "The Vincent Boys," which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, also does the same thing).
As a related aside, 1 and 2 star reviews are why I buy books. Why? This is usually where you can find people discussing the following: characters' judgment, bad behavior,
behavior in general, morals, and general douchebaggery of characters. Any book that gets people angry about what the characters are doing usually means I HAVE to read it.
Anyway, Scandal got me thinking about "morally bankrupt" main characters who get away with the bad behavior. A lot. And I'm not even talking about the antiheroes who commit heinous crimes against other human beings (see Sons of Anarchy and Dexter), but the messed up, thoughtless, selfish acts that aren't crimes..or maybe they're emotional crimes lol....like, say, cheating. I know people who just won't read books where characters cheat, and where cheating characters get to live happily ever after, and this is understandable. Being cheated on hurts a lot and it's really one of those things that's so unnecessary (if you're that unhappy, grow a backbone and just break up with the person, right?), and we all have our preferences and sensitivities about what we want to see characters doing and what not.
Fiction reflects us so much sometimes and it can hurt to see. Fiction can be a trigger.
But to me, cheating seems like one of the most authentic situations fictional characters can engage in. We often make a point of discussing the perfect hero archetype who doesn't exist, and why it's bad to continuously have characters like this, but never really discuss the traits of people who actually do exist and what this means. The messed-up, thoughtless, selfish ones. The ones who cheat and say mean things and act without thinking. We berate them immediately (and I'm not saying they deserve sympathy at all), and we write them off without any real discussion about what's RIGHT about seeing them in literature.They're real. They're so incredibly real. Selfishness is one of the most realistic traits/behaviors I see in novels.
It's possible to live an entire lifetime without committing a crime against another person; however, it's rare to live an entire existence without hurting the people you know, without doing something and not thinking about who might get hurt, without putting your instant gratification first. Sometimes fiction hurts b/c we can put ourselves on the receiving end of the hurt, but it often slips our minds about the times we were on the giving end, too. And maybe that's why it's so easy to judge the fictional characters when they do bad and stupid things, when they're cruel and rotten.
A lot of times this is just a depiction and portrayal of something that actually happens, even if the person with the questionable morals gets everything they want in the end. That actually happens. It's the unfairness of life.
Ultimately we don't have to root for the main characters when they're bad, we don't even have to sympathize with them or understand them. We can hate them. And we should. But we should also discuss them objectively.
Because the truth is, writers certainly are not pulling them out of thin air.
.
I think Scandal is genius: the main romance is not traditional, and even outside of Fitz and Olivia's adulterous relationship, Shonda Rhimes is attempting to make us root for people who do really bad and morally questionable things all the time (Olivia's entire PR team) with often little in the matter of punitive consequences for their behavior. It's all so deliciously wrong. AND I LOVE IT. She's not the first to do it, but it's definitely the one everyone's talking about.
(Abbi Glines' "The Vincent Boys," which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, also does the same thing).
As a related aside, 1 and 2 star reviews are why I buy books. Why? This is usually where you can find people discussing the following: characters' judgment, bad behavior,
behavior in general, morals, and general douchebaggery of characters. Any book that gets people angry about what the characters are doing usually means I HAVE to read it.
Anyway, Scandal got me thinking about "morally bankrupt" main characters who get away with the bad behavior. A lot. And I'm not even talking about the antiheroes who commit heinous crimes against other human beings (see Sons of Anarchy and Dexter), but the messed up, thoughtless, selfish acts that aren't crimes..or maybe they're emotional crimes lol....like, say, cheating. I know people who just won't read books where characters cheat, and where cheating characters get to live happily ever after, and this is understandable. Being cheated on hurts a lot and it's really one of those things that's so unnecessary (if you're that unhappy, grow a backbone and just break up with the person, right?), and we all have our preferences and sensitivities about what we want to see characters doing and what not.
Fiction reflects us so much sometimes and it can hurt to see. Fiction can be a trigger.
But to me, cheating seems like one of the most authentic situations fictional characters can engage in. We often make a point of discussing the perfect hero archetype who doesn't exist, and why it's bad to continuously have characters like this, but never really discuss the traits of people who actually do exist and what this means. The messed-up, thoughtless, selfish ones. The ones who cheat and say mean things and act without thinking. We berate them immediately (and I'm not saying they deserve sympathy at all), and we write them off without any real discussion about what's RIGHT about seeing them in literature.They're real. They're so incredibly real. Selfishness is one of the most realistic traits/behaviors I see in novels.
It's possible to live an entire lifetime without committing a crime against another person; however, it's rare to live an entire existence without hurting the people you know, without doing something and not thinking about who might get hurt, without putting your instant gratification first. Sometimes fiction hurts b/c we can put ourselves on the receiving end of the hurt, but it often slips our minds about the times we were on the giving end, too. And maybe that's why it's so easy to judge the fictional characters when they do bad and stupid things, when they're cruel and rotten.
A lot of times this is just a depiction and portrayal of something that actually happens, even if the person with the questionable morals gets everything they want in the end. That actually happens. It's the unfairness of life.
Ultimately we don't have to root for the main characters when they're bad, we don't even have to sympathize with them or understand them. We can hate them. And we should. But we should also discuss them objectively.
Because the truth is, writers certainly are not pulling them out of thin air.
.
February 22, 2013
200+ ratings = a grande sneak peek! =)
You guys are seriously killing me with how quickly you're reading my little (lol atrociously long) book! The fact that you guys are even reading "Documentary" and care enough to email me and care about what happens next makes me want to do this all day (But like I already don't do this lol):
(This was clearly just an excuse for a Beyonce gif... because BEYONCE!).
I know I keep saying it, but I mean it! Thank you! And so...maybe sometime in the near future I do something like...release part of the first chapter of the next book? =)
Hm? Hmmm? HMMMMM?
So, anyway, sometime after we reach 200+ Good Reads ratings, you get a huge sneak peek at chapter one! Next week is another teaser Tuesday, so look out for that!!
(This was clearly just an excuse for a Beyonce gif... because BEYONCE!).
I know I keep saying it, but I mean it! Thank you! And so...maybe sometime in the near future I do something like...release part of the first chapter of the next book? =)
Hm? Hmmm? HMMMMM?
So, anyway, sometime after we reach 200+ Good Reads ratings, you get a huge sneak peek at chapter one! Next week is another teaser Tuesday, so look out for that!!
February 21, 2013
TEASERPALOOZA! - "Remake" teasers - I deleted this by accident from Good Reads. D'oh!
This is from Tuesday, so it's just a re-post. I did something wrong.
Are we calling this Teaser Tuesday? Anyway, I have teasers from "Remake" today. Nope, neither explains what happened at the end of "Documentary." You'll just have to wait and see...
A little info to ground you - Naomi, as you may remember, is Erica's (older) sister. In "Remake," she is recently engaged to Hayden Van Der Bausch. His younger brother, Fitz, is the one in this scene. They're at Hayden's house for a small get-together/meeting about Naomi and Hayden's upcoming engagement party.
Teaser #1)
“E, you’re going to love your maid of honor dress,” Naomi said, beaming with encouragement and reassurance, but Erica was skeptical, especially if it was still based on that tattered and flimsy magazine cut-out Naomi had pasted in her 'Fantasy Wedding' book twelve years ago. She and Naomi had vastly different tastes. “It’s going to look awesome on you.”
“It better,” Fitz said, adding a wink at Erica. “She’s my partner after all.”
“Well would you look at that incentive? I’ll be Fitz’s arm candy!” Erica said with sarcasm. “Which means you have to raise the hem another two inches, regardless of where it is right now, and push my boobs together.”
“That is how I like dresses.”
“No, you like them on bedroom floors,” Erica countered as she turned to the bar to pour herself another glass of champagne. Fitz scoffed behind her, though she had expected some kind of confirmation from him, and when she turned back, he was scrolling through his phone. “Am I wrong?”
“No, it’s not that…it’s…have you guys read this story about your friend, Jeremy Bunyan?”
Teaser #2) Bryson, who was mentioned a few times in "Documentary," is Erica's maybe fiance'. This happens at the engagement party that was being planned in Teaser #1. SURPRISE this is actually a double teaser within a teaser. These two happen in the same scene but aren't back-to-back.
a) Erica flinched at the sudden sound of the voice behind her, but she refused to turn around; it’s not like she didn’t know who it belonged to. To say everything about the man approaching was so infused in her memory, in her soul, in her bones, to say everything about him had possessed her in a way that frightened her before, would still only be capturing a fraction of the reality. Erica could detail all of him in her mind with specificity: the cool way he would stride across a room and pull the attention of every woman in it into his orbit, his captivating, warm smile that preceded every first word he spoke to someone, the scar in his right eyebrow, comma-shaped and deep, and the spot on his face where the skin was so delicate he always nicked it when he shaved. She could build him from scratch herself.
Bryson had come; after an entire week of her worried speculation, he was actually there.
b) “I'm right here. I'm right here, and only one of two things is ever going to make me leave: an act of God or...you taking off that damn ring right now.” Bryson looked up at the ceiling then back at her in a stare of defiance. “Doesn't look like He's interested, so take off the ring, Erica. Make me go.” He jutted his hand out in front of her, palm up.
“Bryson, I—”
“Forever was the only condition I ever put on us. So if it ends here, you’ll have to take that off. Now. Take it off, if it's really over.”
Are we calling this Teaser Tuesday? Anyway, I have teasers from "Remake" today. Nope, neither explains what happened at the end of "Documentary." You'll just have to wait and see...
A little info to ground you - Naomi, as you may remember, is Erica's (older) sister. In "Remake," she is recently engaged to Hayden Van Der Bausch. His younger brother, Fitz, is the one in this scene. They're at Hayden's house for a small get-together/meeting about Naomi and Hayden's upcoming engagement party.
Teaser #1)
“E, you’re going to love your maid of honor dress,” Naomi said, beaming with encouragement and reassurance, but Erica was skeptical, especially if it was still based on that tattered and flimsy magazine cut-out Naomi had pasted in her 'Fantasy Wedding' book twelve years ago. She and Naomi had vastly different tastes. “It’s going to look awesome on you.”
“It better,” Fitz said, adding a wink at Erica. “She’s my partner after all.”
“Well would you look at that incentive? I’ll be Fitz’s arm candy!” Erica said with sarcasm. “Which means you have to raise the hem another two inches, regardless of where it is right now, and push my boobs together.”
“That is how I like dresses.”
“No, you like them on bedroom floors,” Erica countered as she turned to the bar to pour herself another glass of champagne. Fitz scoffed behind her, though she had expected some kind of confirmation from him, and when she turned back, he was scrolling through his phone. “Am I wrong?”
“No, it’s not that…it’s…have you guys read this story about your friend, Jeremy Bunyan?”
Teaser #2) Bryson, who was mentioned a few times in "Documentary," is Erica's maybe fiance'. This happens at the engagement party that was being planned in Teaser #1. SURPRISE this is actually a double teaser within a teaser. These two happen in the same scene but aren't back-to-back.
a) Erica flinched at the sudden sound of the voice behind her, but she refused to turn around; it’s not like she didn’t know who it belonged to. To say everything about the man approaching was so infused in her memory, in her soul, in her bones, to say everything about him had possessed her in a way that frightened her before, would still only be capturing a fraction of the reality. Erica could detail all of him in her mind with specificity: the cool way he would stride across a room and pull the attention of every woman in it into his orbit, his captivating, warm smile that preceded every first word he spoke to someone, the scar in his right eyebrow, comma-shaped and deep, and the spot on his face where the skin was so delicate he always nicked it when he shaved. She could build him from scratch herself.
Bryson had come; after an entire week of her worried speculation, he was actually there.
b) “I'm right here. I'm right here, and only one of two things is ever going to make me leave: an act of God or...you taking off that damn ring right now.” Bryson looked up at the ceiling then back at her in a stare of defiance. “Doesn't look like He's interested, so take off the ring, Erica. Make me go.” He jutted his hand out in front of her, palm up.
“Bryson, I—”
“Forever was the only condition I ever put on us. So if it ends here, you’ll have to take that off. Now. Take it off, if it's really over.”
February 20, 2013
Review from: An Asian & White Chick... no, seriously, it's the name of their blog!
The lovely ladies at An Asian & White Chick Walk Into a Book (lol best book blog name ever) did an honest to goodness review of "Documentary" the other day! And I totally forgot to share on my blog. You can read it here!
Thank you, girls!!!
February 17, 2013
ICYMI from last week.
I'm off to zone out in front of the TV for a while. Sunday is my favorite night of TV!
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you! Consider my socks rocked by all of you. Thank you for your emails, tweets and facebook messages and page liking. Thank you for loving Dylan and Kai (and after you're done reading the book, make sure you read my post about book #2 below, ESPECIALLY if you love Dylan and Kai)! Check out one of my fave Team Dick-inspired pictures. I wasn't kidding when I said I have tons of romantic pics on my laptop.
random swoon-worthy pictureTeaser from Book #2 coming this week!
ICYMI, I blogged about a bunch of things last week. Here they are all in one place -
Book Two Info (has spoilers if you aren't completely done with Documentary)
Bonus Kai and Wes scene that takes place after Kai's interview with Dylan (After Chapter 2)
Bonus Kai and Wes scene that takes place during Chapter 17
Kissing scenes inspiration
Sex scenes inspiration
and
I'm all over social media: http://ajswritingreallyblows.blogspot.com/p/where-to-find-me-online.html
Please note: my domain name listed at the back of the book isn't *wrong,* I actually own it, I just haven't attached it to anything just yet. Apologies for the confusion!
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you! Consider my socks rocked by all of you. Thank you for your emails, tweets and facebook messages and page liking. Thank you for loving Dylan and Kai (and after you're done reading the book, make sure you read my post about book #2 below, ESPECIALLY if you love Dylan and Kai)! Check out one of my fave Team Dick-inspired pictures. I wasn't kidding when I said I have tons of romantic pics on my laptop.
random swoon-worthy pictureTeaser from Book #2 coming this week! ICYMI, I blogged about a bunch of things last week. Here they are all in one place -
Book Two Info (has spoilers if you aren't completely done with Documentary)
Bonus Kai and Wes scene that takes place after Kai's interview with Dylan (After Chapter 2)
Bonus Kai and Wes scene that takes place during Chapter 17
Kissing scenes inspiration
Sex scenes inspiration
and
I'm all over social media: http://ajswritingreallyblows.blogspot.com/p/where-to-find-me-online.html
Please note: my domain name listed at the back of the book isn't *wrong,* I actually own it, I just haven't attached it to anything just yet. Apologies for the confusion!
February 16, 2013
Another Cool Mention! - Page Trotters
I was doing another round of self-Googling (completely and shamelessly sober this time. I have Google Alerts set up for weekly alerts, but I'm so impatient), and I came across another amazing mention of "Documentary."
Over at Page Trotters, they featured a scene from "Documentary" on Valentine's Day as part of Swoon Thursday! Kai and Dylan worthy of Valentine's Day mentioning? A swoon-related mention? WOW! So cool. And they picked one of my favorite scenes in the entire book, too, if not my favorite scene period. Their blog is adorable, and I'm not just saying that because "Documentary" was picked (I got distracted for another twenty minutes while I was there). Check it out. And here's the scene they picked:
“I like what you’re wearing tonight,” he said, and she pressed her cheek back against his. “You look beautiful.” She was wearing red skinny jeans, black platform pumps and a thin black sweater. “Thanks. You tell me that every night,” she said in a whisper. “Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it every time,” Kai whispered back. She gulped down and tried to ignore how sensitive her body had gotten, like all her nerve endings were preparing for his touch, as she finished pushing the material the rest of the way to his elbow. Kai’s gaze trailed her when she took the small step to his left arm. The staring was so sexy, and she really didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he always seemed to want to be looking at her, like he desired her so much that he didn’t want to stare at anything else. She rolled the left one slower this time, and they didn’t break eye contact until he dropped his lips on her cheek. “Thank you,” he said. He pressed his lips against the apple of her cheek again, then her jawline. If his mouth hit her neck, they were going to end up naked, and they were going to rip each other’s clothes off to get there; she was sure of it. She was clutching his sleeve with all her might when his lips hit the corner of her mouth. Dylan’s eyes closed, she let out a faint moan, and her knees nearly buckled. Kai’s lips brushed her ear again when he cradled the back of her neck. Then, he let out a slow, low growl. “Dylan, if you make that sound again…” He let his voice trail off, and Dylan stepped back, her entire body clenched in warmth and need, her rapid heart rate vibrating her entire body. She ran her hands up his arms and shoulders and squeezed the back of his neck. “What are you going to do, Kai?” she asked anxiously, her chest heaving. “What are you going to do if I do that?” “I’m gonna hope I can give you a really good reason to make it.”
I love it because it's one of those "Would you just have sex already, Dylan and Kai?" moments.
Thank you so much, Page Trotters! =)
Over at Page Trotters, they featured a scene from "Documentary" on Valentine's Day as part of Swoon Thursday! Kai and Dylan worthy of Valentine's Day mentioning? A swoon-related mention? WOW! So cool. And they picked one of my favorite scenes in the entire book, too, if not my favorite scene period. Their blog is adorable, and I'm not just saying that because "Documentary" was picked (I got distracted for another twenty minutes while I was there). Check it out. And here's the scene they picked:
“I like what you’re wearing tonight,” he said, and she pressed her cheek back against his. “You look beautiful.” She was wearing red skinny jeans, black platform pumps and a thin black sweater. “Thanks. You tell me that every night,” she said in a whisper. “Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it every time,” Kai whispered back. She gulped down and tried to ignore how sensitive her body had gotten, like all her nerve endings were preparing for his touch, as she finished pushing the material the rest of the way to his elbow. Kai’s gaze trailed her when she took the small step to his left arm. The staring was so sexy, and she really didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he always seemed to want to be looking at her, like he desired her so much that he didn’t want to stare at anything else. She rolled the left one slower this time, and they didn’t break eye contact until he dropped his lips on her cheek. “Thank you,” he said. He pressed his lips against the apple of her cheek again, then her jawline. If his mouth hit her neck, they were going to end up naked, and they were going to rip each other’s clothes off to get there; she was sure of it. She was clutching his sleeve with all her might when his lips hit the corner of her mouth. Dylan’s eyes closed, she let out a faint moan, and her knees nearly buckled. Kai’s lips brushed her ear again when he cradled the back of her neck. Then, he let out a slow, low growl. “Dylan, if you make that sound again…” He let his voice trail off, and Dylan stepped back, her entire body clenched in warmth and need, her rapid heart rate vibrating her entire body. She ran her hands up his arms and shoulders and squeezed the back of his neck. “What are you going to do, Kai?” she asked anxiously, her chest heaving. “What are you going to do if I do that?” “I’m gonna hope I can give you a really good reason to make it.”
I love it because it's one of those "Would you just have sex already, Dylan and Kai?" moments.
Thank you so much, Page Trotters! =)
February 14, 2013
Book two info...and MAJOR SPOILER if you haven't finished "Documentary."
Happy Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day or just Thursday!
I know what I promised in exchange for 25 reviews/ratings and we've actually doubled that and then some? Seriously, that's crazy and amazing and thank you to anyone who emailed me or tweeted me or liked me on Facebook.
Whether "Documentary" bothered you, made you swoon, made you unable to put it down, made you put it down right away, made you angry, made you "meh"...whatever your emotion, I'm grateful you gave it a chance in the first place!
So the teaser from the next book will come next week.
The second book is called "Remake," and there's good news and bad news.
BAD NEWS: I LOVE THAT YOU LOVE DYLAN AND KAI, BUT... for now--maybe ever--I'm done with Team Dick. I'm not going to force a story where one doesn't exist. No drug addiction. No conniving groupies. No baby mammas coming forward, no long-lost siblings, no going on tour and the two of them being tempted by others, and jealousy and cheating. And all those things are juicy and salacious, and I like reading about them, but that's not for me as a writer. I don't trust myself at creating that type of drama without it coming across as really, really, unnecessarily contrived or even a poor regurgitation of the well-crafted stuff you have read that manages to effortlessly spin those tales. And I can't in good faith manufacture drama for them for reading sake.
This was never meant to be a "rock star" series, and "Documentary" wasn't really intended to be a "rock star" novel (if I'm comparing it to the books about rock stars that I've read). Kai and some of his friends just happen to have pretty unusual jobs, and I wanted Kai different. Music and concerts and extravagance and lavish consumption and surfing and all those things about their lifestyles will certainly still be there going forward, but it's far more like Abbi Glines' Sea Breeze series and Bella Andre's The Sullivans series, though, in terms of how this will work (characters from previous books becoming main characters and those previously main characters then making appearances).
I hope to finish it completely (as in ready to go for publication) before "Walking Disaster" (by Jamie McGuire) comes out because I will be doing NOTHING but eating and showering until I finish reading WD. =)
GOOD NEWS: Kai and Dylan are in the 2nd book (heavily), and since it doesn't follow either of them, it's probably no mental stretch to figure out who it's about... It's Erica Evigan's story. It was left purposefully really open-ended in "Documentary." The two stories are way too connected for me to not have mentioned in the description of "Documentary" that there was a 2nd book because it is a continuation of the story that was always at the center of "Documentary," and really what set in motion everything that happened in "Documentary" in the first place. This was always the plan.
If you're thinking, But, A.J., are you about to put me through the ringer emotionally with this story? Will it still have romance and fun and friendship and laughs and other stuff? It will be chock full of everything you loved (and maybe hated lol) about "Documentary." That I can promise.
The last little boost of courage to finish "Documentary" in the first place came from reading this Tumblr post by the AMAZING, insightful and talented Cassandra Clare ("Mortal Instruments" author). I go forward with "Remake" with that post in mind. [Please note that her post discusses sexual assault and may be triggering].
And I'm doing so without changing one bit of the content. Abandon hope all ye who enter here: There's sex, crude language, drinking, fighting, Elliott twins,melodrama, awful people, assholes, and messy and trainwrecky behavior because this is life. As much as I believe in fiction being just that--fiction, where a lot of liberties and artistic license are allowed--as Ms. Clare puts it, "[I]t’s your job as a writer, even if you’re writing fantasy, to reflect reality."
I'm not sure I know how to do "light," and I'm not sure that's really my thing as a writer anyway, but I do have other stories planned for other characters that won't necessarily deal with as heavy of a subject matter going forward; I say this with a caveat though.
While I'm definitely not writing a how-to guide for life in your twenties (I really couldn't; mine have been a mess in a good and bad way), and I certainly don't think that by writing about certain things one is condoning or intending to glorify them, I don't want anyone who has been through the things that hurt us and make us sad and sometimes change who we are forever, to ever not see themselves reflected in fiction. I may be in the minority, but I don't want the fictional world to be one where everyone only exists in a vacuum of awesomeness, and where real pain and really bad things don't exist.
Seems a little unfair to people who have been dealt circumstances in life that a lot of us will hopefully never have to know.
Anyway, shutting up now.
Look out for the "Remake" teaser here, blog and on my Facebook page.
I know what I promised in exchange for 25 reviews/ratings and we've actually doubled that and then some? Seriously, that's crazy and amazing and thank you to anyone who emailed me or tweeted me or liked me on Facebook.
Whether "Documentary" bothered you, made you swoon, made you unable to put it down, made you put it down right away, made you angry, made you "meh"...whatever your emotion, I'm grateful you gave it a chance in the first place!
So the teaser from the next book will come next week.
The second book is called "Remake," and there's good news and bad news.
BAD NEWS: I LOVE THAT YOU LOVE DYLAN AND KAI, BUT... for now--maybe ever--I'm done with Team Dick. I'm not going to force a story where one doesn't exist. No drug addiction. No conniving groupies. No baby mammas coming forward, no long-lost siblings, no going on tour and the two of them being tempted by others, and jealousy and cheating. And all those things are juicy and salacious, and I like reading about them, but that's not for me as a writer. I don't trust myself at creating that type of drama without it coming across as really, really, unnecessarily contrived or even a poor regurgitation of the well-crafted stuff you have read that manages to effortlessly spin those tales. And I can't in good faith manufacture drama for them for reading sake.
This was never meant to be a "rock star" series, and "Documentary" wasn't really intended to be a "rock star" novel (if I'm comparing it to the books about rock stars that I've read). Kai and some of his friends just happen to have pretty unusual jobs, and I wanted Kai different. Music and concerts and extravagance and lavish consumption and surfing and all those things about their lifestyles will certainly still be there going forward, but it's far more like Abbi Glines' Sea Breeze series and Bella Andre's The Sullivans series, though, in terms of how this will work (characters from previous books becoming main characters and those previously main characters then making appearances).
I hope to finish it completely (as in ready to go for publication) before "Walking Disaster" (by Jamie McGuire) comes out because I will be doing NOTHING but eating and showering until I finish reading WD. =)
GOOD NEWS: Kai and Dylan are in the 2nd book (heavily), and since it doesn't follow either of them, it's probably no mental stretch to figure out who it's about... It's Erica Evigan's story. It was left purposefully really open-ended in "Documentary." The two stories are way too connected for me to not have mentioned in the description of "Documentary" that there was a 2nd book because it is a continuation of the story that was always at the center of "Documentary," and really what set in motion everything that happened in "Documentary" in the first place. This was always the plan.
If you're thinking, But, A.J., are you about to put me through the ringer emotionally with this story? Will it still have romance and fun and friendship and laughs and other stuff? It will be chock full of everything you loved (and maybe hated lol) about "Documentary." That I can promise.
The last little boost of courage to finish "Documentary" in the first place came from reading this Tumblr post by the AMAZING, insightful and talented Cassandra Clare ("Mortal Instruments" author). I go forward with "Remake" with that post in mind. [Please note that her post discusses sexual assault and may be triggering].
And I'm doing so without changing one bit of the content. Abandon hope all ye who enter here: There's sex, crude language, drinking, fighting, Elliott twins,
I'm not sure I know how to do "light," and I'm not sure that's really my thing as a writer anyway, but I do have other stories planned for other characters that won't necessarily deal with as heavy of a subject matter going forward; I say this with a caveat though.
While I'm definitely not writing a how-to guide for life in your twenties (I really couldn't; mine have been a mess in a good and bad way), and I certainly don't think that by writing about certain things one is condoning or intending to glorify them, I don't want anyone who has been through the things that hurt us and make us sad and sometimes change who we are forever, to ever not see themselves reflected in fiction. I may be in the minority, but I don't want the fictional world to be one where everyone only exists in a vacuum of awesomeness, and where real pain and really bad things don't exist.
Seems a little unfair to people who have been dealt circumstances in life that a lot of us will hopefully never have to know.
Anyway, shutting up now.
Look out for the "Remake" teaser here, blog and on my Facebook page.
