Lyra Parish's Blog, page 5

Weak for Weak Without Him Giveaway

WEAK WITHOUT HIM WILL OFFICIALLY RELEASE IN 9 DAYS!!!

 

Sorry for the all cappys… I am just cap happy!

I am CELEBRATING early!

Why? Because I will finish my edits today and then send the ARC’s out to reviewers.

Instead of sitting on pins and needles (because we all know that probably hurts like hell), I am celebrating with a HUGEEEEE giveaway!

Who is excited? I surely am and I hope you are as well!

I guarantee this book will be everything you didn’t expect.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing is like musical theatre…

Over the last month, I’ve had some major changes take place in my life. I could bore you to death with the details of my day job (I pimp slap spreadsheets from 8-5) but I will spare you. I recently (the past year or so) had the honor of working with several authors on a few projects and that chapter in my life has officially ended as well. It seems like when it rains change, it freaking thunder storms it and all hell breaks loose. lol. With that being said,  I now have more time to focus on myself and write so it’s actually a win-win for everyone. My goal was to write 4 books this year, I may end up writing 5 or 6.

Publishing Weak for Him changed my life, and although some people REALLY hate it and hate me for writing it, #truestorybro, I don’t let it bother me. For every 1 person who despises it, 3 people like it. Can’t win them all! Most authors will swear by NOT reading their reviews. I understand why, but I was one of those kids that grew up in the theatre. Some of you are like, whaaaa, why does that matter? hehe. It does! Hear me out.

Being a thespian really teaches a person about rejection, and how to handle it when someone doesn’t like their audition. I’ve been too short, too fat, too skinny (yes, that has happened), too loud, not blond, can’t sing low enough or high enough, or I just didn’t click or meet the expectation, or there were people who were way better than me. I’ve been told that I was too good or not good enough. I’ve auditioned for probably 25 different shows, and I’ve snagged several lead parts. (One of my favorites being Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown). I’ve also auditioned and been rejected more times than not, but did I let it stop me? No. Did I quit? No, I was just the best damned chorus member on stage! lol. It really taught me how to deal with criticism and try to do better next time. Being an author really isn’t much different from that. When I pushed publish, I knew that the whole experience was just another audition, but in front of thousands of directors.

Weak for Him isn’t for everyone. I never intended it to be, and the people who get it, really get it, and that’s why I continue to write. And the people who don’t, I promise to try harder next time with the next series. Some authors are devastated by critical reviews. Yes, I’ve seen the posts on Facebook where some have publicly asked themselves WTF they are doing. I think any creative individual experiences that. As artists, we are always second guessing ourselves and questioning our own intentions.

I don’t talk about bad reviews publicly (this post being the exception). I try to find at least one thing that I can creatively take from all of them and make note to do better next time. There really is such a thing as creative criticism. Some of the best reviews I have recieved are one and two stars. They are raw and honest, but really help me become a better writer. Do I want tons of 1 and 2 stars, no, but I want honest opinions. I don’t want fake reviews. I don’t want random 5 stars if someone hasn’t read it or doesn’t think it deserves it. I don’t want to stay stagnant in my skill. I want to improve, and become a better writer. If I felt like I could approach those 1-2 star reviewers and have them beta for me, I would. Why? Because I want critical beta readers. I want to BECOME BETTER and I have a thick skin.

I am a writer virgin, or was, rather. Weak for Him was my first novel, and it took me 3 years to finally bite the bullet and publish something. I know that the rest of the novels I publish will be better than WFH. They have to be. Why? Because I am always learning and always improving. I may not be Coleen Hoover or Jamie McGuire… but I strive for that. My dreams is to one day become a full-time writer like the ladies that inspire me to keep moving forward. I have goals and aspirations and the literary ocean is wide…

I am publishing Weak Without Him (book 2 of the Weakness series) in 3 weeks. I’ve got an editor who is AMAZING. She doesn’t hold back and that’s exactly what I was missing with WFH. My Proofer… is the bomb(dot)com, I can’t stop singing her praises. She went over Weak for Him and found several things that needed to changed (see, I constantly strive for perfection!) so I will be doing an update on Weak for Him too!  Those who read and enjoyed Weak for Him, I think (hope) will love this one.

Don’t forget to add Weak Without Him to your Goodreads TBR list

Also, Hiding Secrets (Dirty Little Secrets #1) is coming soon as well! Eep!

 

 

Weak Without Him is finished!!

 

It’s been a crazy ride, guys but today I wrote the last sentence to Weak Without Him.

I would share it with you, but that would be a MAJOR spoiler. So here is a warning… if you are one of those readers who gets curious and reads the last line of the novel before you start, DON’T DO IT! lol.



Writing that last sentence is such a crazy feeling. It wasn’t as intense as when I finished book 1, but my eyes watered and I almost cried. I’m not even an emotional person. But, I pulled it back a bit and sucked in a deep breath. Finished. Phew. I sent the last two chapters to one of my beta’s who has read every word as I write them and her response… “F*CKING PHENOMENAL”.

I’ve got a new editor and proofreader hired for this book and I am super excited about them!

They are so brilliant that I know Weak Without Him is going to be the best that it can.

I cannot wait to share it with you. I really can’t.  :)

Make sure to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18942020-weak-without-him

WEAK FOR HIM IS LIVE (excuse the CAPS)

… it’s party time!

I officially hit publish on Saturday and this was me…

And then I waited 18 hours for Amazon to make the kindle version available…

And then it became live and I was TOTALLY this chick!

And I was tagged on Facebook like crazy, I had my swagga on!

LOL! Basically my early super secret release day!

Want to purchase a copy of WEAK FOR HIM?

Amazon US link —  Amazon UK link – B&N link

On a more serious note: It’s a weird feeling becoming a published author, to know that people are reading your words whether they enjoy them or not. I can’t really explain how it feels. I’ve tried. I’ve written sentences and sentences and all of it looked like this alksdjflakjsdfljasdflkjadsf … so I deleted them! LOL! I know some people will really love Weak for Him and some people won’t, and that’s okay! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read it. Time, it’s something that can’t be replaced, or purchased. Time is something we are all inevitably working against.

So to EVERYONE that spend their minutes reading my words, Thank YOU everyone!

Seriously! I’m excited and nervous and every possible emotion that a person can feel.

It’s all very humbling and amazing!



Thank you!

2013 Reflections and 2014 Shiz

It’s a new year I am sooooooo excited!!!!  Why? Because Weak for Him will release in exactly 15 days (or maybe sooner…muwahahha!!) Squee! Since it is the first day of 2014, I wanted to reflect upon 2013. It was a crazy year. Like, I can’t even explain to you how it got to where it is right now. I’ve learned hard lessons. Some that I won’t even talk about ….. … because they aren’t worth mentioning.

 

At this very moment, I have not transitioned over to the author realm. I am still very much “just a writer”, and I wanted to mainly reflect upon that, so when 2015 arrives (because we know it all will), I will be able to look back at this post and go WOW! So, future LYRA… insert it here: ______

When I fully committed to writing Weak for Him in May, I went about it full force. Wrote my synopsis, let it sit. Wrote the first chapter (which never changed) and then found myself writing every day. When I finished it, I was just like…ZING!  I felt accomplished because I did what I said I was going to do. Therewas never a time when I didn’t know where the story was going. The characters spoke to me, loudly, and when I finished, I wanted to cry. Like…. just speechless. 

 

For the past 3 years, I have wanted to publish a novel. I wrote one and it sucked. I wrote short stories, and they sucked. But when I wrote Weak for Him, I felt like I had finally created something that I could be completely and utterly proud of. Something that I wasn’t ashamed to show people, something that other may enjoy.

 

I think I was scared of publishing, in a sense, and I’m not sure why. But after reevaluating things in my life, and getting rid of all the negativity, I was able to get over it. I have a pretty thick skin and can take criticisms quite well (all that musical theatre I used to do), and well, I was sike-ing myself out for waaaaay too long. There were times during 2013 when I just wanted to say EFF it. But I didn’t, and it’s because I don’t quit things when I set out to accomplish them. I’ve always been like that and I think that I will be until the day I die. I love to destroy challenges.

 

I am in such a weird transitioning stage right now that I sometimes just sit wide eyed and try to recoup my thoughts and think about what’s about to happen..lol. Publishing, it’s weird!!! I’ve had bloggers ask me how it feels to have people read a novel that’s going to be loved. I’ve had them ask me WHY I’VE NEVER EFFING PUBLISHED BEFORE! Lol. Some can’t believe it’s my debut novel. lol. Me either, readers, me either. When I read things like OMG you will be a ‘best seller’ I kind of freak out inside…… It somewhat scares the shit out of me. WHY? Because it’s still weird to think that people genuinely like what I’ve written. Maybe it’s because I watched Carrie recently and I’m just waiting for the pigs blood? Or maybe it’s because only two people had ever read anything I wrote and tore it to SHREDS, before I sent it to my betas. lol. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. 

Every writer has a dream. Whether it is to be on XXXX list, to sell XXXX amount of copies, to have XXXX agent, or XXXX followers across FaceTwitGoodPintPlus or whatever it may be. I don’t have any expectations. My only goal at this point is to keep up my positive thinking after I’ve hit publish. I don’t know if it will be a bestseller. I don’t know if it will sell hundreds, thousands, or millions of copies. I don’t know, and when people ask me, I don’t really know what to say. But I can tell you, I am not going to set myself up with a crazy expectation. Instead, I’m just going to take it one day at a time. #YOLO

 

Like I’ve said before, I’ve wanted to publish a novel for 3 years, that’s 1095 days, and by the reviews that I’ve already received, I feel like I have accomplished everything that I’ve set out to do with book 1, and because of that, I feel pretty freaking cool. 

 

So I am finishing up this reflection post with a big THANK YOU to those who have read Weak for Him and enjoyed it and bigger THANK YOU to my future readers! Seriously, thank you, thank you!

 

-Lyra

 

Happy Holidays!

It’s that time of year where everyone is celebrating, or shopping, or being with family. I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season, or whatever it is that you celebrate. This year, we didn’t putup mega-tree (a 10-foot DIY project I did last year for the front yard), and we didn’t decorate a Christmas tree. I know this is hard to believe, lol, if you knew me, you would know how much I am usually into Christmas! I know, mind blown! 

I was somewhat of a grinch this year, but not on purpose! Promise. The only tree that is in my house right now is the Charlie Brown one, which I enjoy! I really do love the holiday season: the lights, music, and the general feeling of giving. Plus, it’s like the only time we get colder weather here in Texas. But if it would snow, I would be so happy! Anywho, I hope you all you naughty and nice people on my friends lists have a wonderful time whatever it is you are celebrating.

ARCS HAVE BEEN SENT! I have had such an overwhelming positive response from those who have read it and messaged me. It’s kind of freaking me out just a little bit. Writers hope to create an interesting story, but some of the things people have said to me, WOW. Seriously, have left me completely speechless! Someone recently asked me WHO I envisioned to play a few characters in my novel, so hun, this one is dedicated to you!

Oh and I made a Soundtrack for Weak for Him. Check that sucka out on Spotify! We have 20 days until Weak for Him will be on the market! A week leading up to release, I plan to do some giveaways on my Facebook Fan page! Whatcha waiting for? As always, my email is open to any comments!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Lyra

Becoming an author

I’m not sure when the transition happened for me. You know, the transition of wanting to become a writer and then actually being one. I’ve tried to recall exactly when it happened, but can’t.

I’ve been knee deep in the writing world for 3 years (in Jan) and it all happened on a whim. Told Hubby I wanted to write a novel, and after writing, trashing it, rewriting during NaNo, I had my first draft.

But it didn’t end with a nice published novel.

Everything I wrote prior to July of 2013 is shelved. It will never be published. It will never see the light of day and that’s okay. All of those countless words (probably close to 200k) were nothing more than a learning experience. I worked through many issues and growing pains, passive voice, unformatted hooha, rogue commas, and panster plots. But without experiencing that, I would not be where I am. In the theatre, I used to tell people to “fake it until you make it” on stage, and I feel like (up until now) that’s what I did. I told people I was a writer, but telling people you are and feeling like one is two different things. I am thankful for every single moment that brought me to this point in my literary life.

In exactly 30 days, I will transition from writer to author. Thinking back, I guess I felt like a real writer whenever I decided that I would published something. Something that wasn’t useless thrown together words during NaNoWriMo. It was months of hard work. Countless restless nights with 3 hours of sleep. Vacation days being spent writing. Weekends of pumping out words. Months of revisions. The loss of friends and the forming of new relationships. It’s learning the ins and outs of the indie scene, and overseeing every bit of the process. Plus hundreds of hours of research.

Whenever I hit the publish button, I know that I will be sharing a story that I am proud of, and to me, that’s the best feeling in the entire world.

Word to live by when becoming an author:

Teasers & Street Team Link

It’s teaser timeeeeee!!!!! Weak for Him officially releases in 1 month and 27 days…zomg!

I officially have a STREET TEAM … SQUEE!!! I haven’t accepted any members YET, but if you are interested in joining, please feel free to send a request. I will start approving everyone next week!!

Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/65811...

Don’t forget, if you would like to request an ARC copy of Weak for Him please sign up here: http://lyraparish.com/weak-for-him-e-...

 

Weak for Him E-Arc Requests

I thought I would create an official post to request E-ARC’s for Weak for Him. I have had several people sign up already (which is exciting and scary all within itself)! I will only be accepting a limited amount of people (50-75 max), so if you would like to receive a copy, please make sure to sign up! I do not require that you be a blogger, but I would love if you could post your honest review somewhere (goodreads, amazon, barnes, library thing, Facebook, twitter, or even blog!).

Thank you for wanting to become a  part of my special review team!

I recently started a street team.

If you enjoyed Weak for Him and would like to join, please feel free to send a request!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/658111944228905/

My goal is to have them out a few weeks before the actual release, hopefully if I keep on track, before the first of January!

But without further ado:

 

The end. Fin.

I wanted to write this while the endorphins are still flowing through my veins. Just an hour ago, I finished the first draft of Weak for Him! OMG OMG OMG OMG! ::insert crazy squee sounds here::

I’ve been plugging away at this for about 3 months and finally, tonight, I wrote those last words : the end.

I had to tuck my bottom lip in, hold back tears, and sigh deeply as to not bust out in tears. (I am an ugly crier and people were around!) The only other time that I had felt like this was whenever I finished a long bike ride, and people cheered me on as I crossed the finished line. Every night that I had stayed up late, every day that I didn’t feel like writing, various notebooks, sticky notes, lessons learned, chatting with all my facebook friends (love y’all), and everything else I went through was entirely worth it. When I wrote those two final words, I knew that I had broken the statistics.

I know that this whole process isn’t really over yet. I still have to do an initial read through, send to my critique partner, send to my 3 betas, send to the editor, all while doing rewrites but it’s still something to celebrate!

These are the actual words, right after I typed them:



I will also have my official cover reveal on Nov 6th, so if anyone would like to sign up to be a part of that, I would love you forever!

Fin – For now!