Ellie Di Julio's Blog, page 19

Shaking the Magic 8-Ball: Writing plans for 2014

After making the announcement that I’d be movingCora Riley‘s publication to March, I had to sit down to figure out exactly what the hell else 2014 would hold for me. Getting serious about self-publishing/writing as a career suddenly meant organization and schedules rather than flying by the seat of my pants. Which is sort of okay with me. I do love me some lists, after all (not to mention those great control issues I’m working on).

I sat down several times over that week and sketched out possi...

2013 Review: Books

I set out this year to read 52 books – a book a week. Considering I did 100 books a couple years ago, I figured it’d be a snap.

Wrong.

One of the things I learned this year is that I can’t read new material while I’m in a novel-writing cycle. Not sure if it’s a cross-contamination issue or what, but it sure did cut into my progress.

Here’s what Idid manage to read this year. The keen-eyed among you will notice there are a lot of “cheat” books – novellas, really. You’ll also notice I don’t have p...

The State of the Ellie: December 2013

Did anyone else have a messed-up November? I mean, I know it was off to a rocky start in general because of Mercury retrograde, but the shittiness seemed to go right down to the wire. Then again, some awesome stuff happened, too. Hrm… All the upheaval, amirite?

At any rate, here’s what happened in my world.

Last month, I…

Listened to some difficult-to-swallow self-pub advice from someone who knows and changed the release date ofCora Rileyto March.
Cried buckets as I assimilated the depth of my ig...

Growing in thanksgiving

For most of my life, I’ve had a lot of trouble saying “thank you.” Not because I didn’t legitimately feel grateful or because I didn’t appreciate someone’s kindness, but because I was drawing attention to an imbalance, like acknowledging a debt. They’d done something nice for me, and now I owed them.

It probably says a lot about who I used to be.

I’m more openly gracious these days. The last two years have taught me volumes about accepting gifts, love, and acts of kindness with words. I frequen...

Site redesign, Cora Riley’s new date, and the future

First of all, check out the new digs!

Sexy, right? *waggles eyebrows* My co-conspirator and internet design maven friend Amanda Farough shamed me into softening the colours, changing the fonts, and adding more space (by telling me how much of my “beautiful potential” I was wasting with the old design), and I honestly couldn’t be happier with it. Unless, you know, it was made of unicorns or waffles or something.

Second! Cora Riley‘s fate.

After much angsting, I’ve decided to release the book on M...

Evicting the demons: Self-harm, self-awareness, and self-advocation

I just got off the phone with my doctor who told me to stop taking my hormonal birth control immediately after I confessed to her the explosive rage and frequent self-harm compulsion I’ve been having over the last week.

I’d been off the pill for eight months due to my surgery but had to go back on it to control my endometriosis, a mass of cells the size of an almond squatting on my ovary and causing shooting pain. The high levels of estrogen I’d been on in the previous year made it practically...

A plan is a list of things that don’t happen

I spent half an hour last night with my snotty, tear-covered face pressed into my coffee table as I wailed out my frustrations, fears, and failures to the universe. The cats paced around me in disdainful concern while I filled a bandana with significantly more than regret. I confessed my anger and confusion until there wasn’t anything left. Then, in the stillness of the passing storm, I whispered for guidance that I wasn’t sure would come.

All because a self-published author whom I respect (lo...

Marking time: Six months since surgery

It’s been six months since doctors rearranged my skeleton. They cracked the bones along my deteriorating right hip in three places to stop the chronic pain that had robbed me of so much life over the previous seven years. Then they sewed a foot-long scar into my skin and told me to wait.

So I waited. Impatiently, but I waited. Did everything the doctors and therapists said. Advocated for myself. Pushed myself. Rejected narcotic addiction. Cried. Healed.

Six months ago, I couldn’t walk.

Five mont...

The Webcast of Cora Riley: Reading, painting, and questions, oh my!

This was such a blast, you guys! If you were hanging out with us, thank you so much for your questions and your eyeballs. If you weren’t with us, no worries because there’s this amazing recording! Don’t you just love technology?

We actually went for nearly two hours, which blew my mind, so I’m going to give you a few of the important timestamps in case you’d like to skip around. Although I must say it’s worth watching the whole thing if you have time/inclination if only to see Desz’ canvas dev...

Read & Paint! A “Cora Riley” Internet Event

You backed it as one of the stretch goals for Cora’s Riley‘s crowdfunding campaign, so we’re putting it on. The tandem book-reading-and-cover-painting webcast is tonight, and I want you to be there!

Yeah, it’s gonna be kinda like that.

Deets

Who: Me (Ellie Di Julio) and Desiree Kern, our fantabulous cover artist (learn more about herhere.)

What: I’ll be reading a chapter fromThe Transmigration of Cora Rileyand answering audience questions while Desz works away on the acrylic painting that will be...