Sheri Velarde's Blog, page 2
September 18, 2016
Is it too early to start planning for NaNoWriMo? Nope!
So most years I try to participate in NaNoWriMo and this year is no different and preparations have already begun!
What is NaNoWriMo you ask? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and takes place every November. It is where you try to write a novel, or at least 50K towards your novel if you are writing a longer piece.
So why am I already planning for NaNoWriMo if it's not until November? Well because I am already planning for the novel I plan to write. This year I am starting my epic steampunk/time-travel/sci-fi mashup novel. It's going to be a long one and I will still be writing into December I am sure, but still I want to write as much as I can in November. That means I need to be prepared. This is a major project and I am already deep into research. Lots of research. After that I need to do some plotting and outlining. It's a lot of work and I only have a month and a half to get ready!
So is anyone else already planning for NaNoWriMo? Am I the only crazy one already planning? lol
What is NaNoWriMo you ask? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and takes place every November. It is where you try to write a novel, or at least 50K towards your novel if you are writing a longer piece.
So why am I already planning for NaNoWriMo if it's not until November? Well because I am already planning for the novel I plan to write. This year I am starting my epic steampunk/time-travel/sci-fi mashup novel. It's going to be a long one and I will still be writing into December I am sure, but still I want to write as much as I can in November. That means I need to be prepared. This is a major project and I am already deep into research. Lots of research. After that I need to do some plotting and outlining. It's a lot of work and I only have a month and a half to get ready!
So is anyone else already planning for NaNoWriMo? Am I the only crazy one already planning? lol
September 16, 2016
New Release: Music and Awakening
I am thrilled to have a brand new release out, just in time for the weekend! Music and Awakening is a super sexy shifter romance short that is only .99 cents and is free on Kindle Unlimited! You can grab your copy over on Amazon at:
http://amzn.to/2chOJsq
Aimee hurried down the street, not looking to either side, moving silently, trying to be invisible. Being out always made her nervous. People made her uncomfortable and she made almost everyone who came into contact with her equally uncomfortable. Others always sensed that she was different and treated her accordingly.
Apparently a band was playing at a bar that she had to pass to get to her car. She hoped that no one would notice her. However, as she was almost past the bar, the music began and Aimee stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to listen, suddenly entranced.
Mesmerized by the music, Aimee swayed, feeling the music in her soul. The music caused her to lose time and space. She was brought back to reality when some drunk put his arm around her. “Hey there pretty little thing, if you like the music why don’t you come inside and have a little drink?”
As always when startled, Aimee shimmered and almost shifted, barely able to maintain her human form. The man quickly took his arm off her and backed away, scared of her yet not understanding why. He started to stumble away, but Aimee uncharacteristically called out to him. “Who is playing tonight?”
The man turned toward her, still confused. “Young blues player, Ryan Irons. Local boy, haven’t you heard of him? On the verge of making it big, you should catch him while you can, before he is traveling the world and has no time for local shows.” Either the drink made him forget his fear or he just really was attracted to Aimee. Once again he tried to sweet talk her.
“If you like the music so much, let me buy your ticket, buy you a drink. He puts on a great show, you won’t be disappointed.”
To her own shock, Aimee actually considered the offer, just to catch a glimpse of the musician whose guitar called to her. But she knew that if she went in among people someone would notice that she was different. “No, not tonight, I have to go. Does he play here often?”
Looking disappointed and not keen to keep talking, the drunk replied, “On and off, not so much now that he tours more. He has a website that you can look up info on.” With that he walked back into the bar, leaving Aimee standing alone in the music.
http://amzn.to/2chOJsq
Aimee hurried down the street, not looking to either side, moving silently, trying to be invisible. Being out always made her nervous. People made her uncomfortable and she made almost everyone who came into contact with her equally uncomfortable. Others always sensed that she was different and treated her accordingly.Apparently a band was playing at a bar that she had to pass to get to her car. She hoped that no one would notice her. However, as she was almost past the bar, the music began and Aimee stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to listen, suddenly entranced.
Mesmerized by the music, Aimee swayed, feeling the music in her soul. The music caused her to lose time and space. She was brought back to reality when some drunk put his arm around her. “Hey there pretty little thing, if you like the music why don’t you come inside and have a little drink?”
As always when startled, Aimee shimmered and almost shifted, barely able to maintain her human form. The man quickly took his arm off her and backed away, scared of her yet not understanding why. He started to stumble away, but Aimee uncharacteristically called out to him. “Who is playing tonight?”
The man turned toward her, still confused. “Young blues player, Ryan Irons. Local boy, haven’t you heard of him? On the verge of making it big, you should catch him while you can, before he is traveling the world and has no time for local shows.” Either the drink made him forget his fear or he just really was attracted to Aimee. Once again he tried to sweet talk her.
“If you like the music so much, let me buy your ticket, buy you a drink. He puts on a great show, you won’t be disappointed.”
To her own shock, Aimee actually considered the offer, just to catch a glimpse of the musician whose guitar called to her. But she knew that if she went in among people someone would notice that she was different. “No, not tonight, I have to go. Does he play here often?”
Looking disappointed and not keen to keep talking, the drunk replied, “On and off, not so much now that he tours more. He has a website that you can look up info on.” With that he walked back into the bar, leaving Aimee standing alone in the music.
September 14, 2016
Writer Wednesday: Writing through Adversity
Today I am going to talk about writing through adversity. At some point in our lives we all go through something that disrupts our lives, that knocks us for a loop, and that gets in the way of our writing. I have been facing such circumstances lately, and the writing aspect is certainly hard. I am a writer. It's what I do and when I can't write, well it makes me depressed and slightly crazy. Still, I have faced this dilemma before and I have learned a few things over the years.
First, give yourself permission to take care of yourself. Writing will still be there when your life settles down. If you are a mess, your writing will suffer, so take the time to get whatever is disrupting your life under control.
Second, for sanity reasons, keep writing when you can - but write without pressure. Okay, sure if you have a hard deadline with an editor or publisher this might be hard, but if you need to ask for an extension. You are human and sh*t sometimes hits the fan, most people will understand this. The original release of Quest for Redemption was delayed by health issues for me and my editor. It still came out. Give yourself a break. Write when you can and what you can to keep your mind sane, but don't have crazy goals while your life is still crazy.
Three, ask for help. This one is hard for me, but sometimes if you ask for help in other areas of your life you can get back to writing.
Last, count each and every word as a win! Even if you write 10 words a week you are still writing. Be proud of that!
How do you cope when adversity strikes? Leave your coping methods in the comments!
First, give yourself permission to take care of yourself. Writing will still be there when your life settles down. If you are a mess, your writing will suffer, so take the time to get whatever is disrupting your life under control.
Second, for sanity reasons, keep writing when you can - but write without pressure. Okay, sure if you have a hard deadline with an editor or publisher this might be hard, but if you need to ask for an extension. You are human and sh*t sometimes hits the fan, most people will understand this. The original release of Quest for Redemption was delayed by health issues for me and my editor. It still came out. Give yourself a break. Write when you can and what you can to keep your mind sane, but don't have crazy goals while your life is still crazy.
Three, ask for help. This one is hard for me, but sometimes if you ask for help in other areas of your life you can get back to writing.
Last, count each and every word as a win! Even if you write 10 words a week you are still writing. Be proud of that!
How do you cope when adversity strikes? Leave your coping methods in the comments!
September 13, 2016
Cover Reveal for Our Last Salvation
Sorry that I have been absent for a bit. Some personal issues are kicking mu behind! But it's Tuesday and I am here to tease you a little...
Today I am sharing the cover for Our Last Salvation, my sexy on the run from zombies thriller which will be out October 7th! I am pretty proud of this cover! Available for preorder now on Amazon! More teases to come as we lead up to release!
Link: http://amzn.to/2cScwSn
Today I am sharing the cover for Our Last Salvation, my sexy on the run from zombies thriller which will be out October 7th! I am pretty proud of this cover! Available for preorder now on Amazon! More teases to come as we lead up to release!
Link: http://amzn.to/2cScwSn
September 9, 2016
Writing and Research
For me personally, one of the funnest parts of writing is research. Of course you need to make sure that you don't spend so much time researching that you never get to the writing part, but my inner nerd just loves learning new things. Right now I am researching a novel that I have had in the back of my head for awhile. I plan on starting it this year for NaNoWriMo, though it will end up being much longer than 50K words for sure. It is a steampunk/sci-fi/historical mashup if you will. I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is, but hey it should be fun to write and hopefully read. Right now I am working on the steampunk part of research with The Steampunk Bible. I love, love this book! I picked up at my local art and history museum when they had a steampunk exhibit. For those wondering, you can get it on Amazon as well:
http://amzn.to/2cbeibR
http://amzn.to/2cbeibR
September 8, 2016
Etsy Thursday!
As many of you know, I have been working hard on getting my etsy store back up and going. As part of the update and new products, I have started a brand new section. My A&P Twinporium section, which was inspired by my twin nieces, has baby and toddler hair accessories, many of which sold in sets of two for twins! I will be adding t-shirts and more to this section soon. If you have twins or toddlers, please head over and check it out!
Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StokerJewelryandArt/APTwinporium
Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StokerJewelryandArt/APTwinporium
September 6, 2016
Teaser Tuesday: A Taste of Music and Awakening
My short and sexy release Music and Awakening comes out next week on the 15th and is available for preorder now, so I thought I would give you a little taste!
Only .99 cents! https://www.amazon.com/Music-Awakening-Sheri-Velarde-ebook/dp/B01KIZQ22Q/
As she got out of her car, she stood for a moment, contemplating going home, but the music started and her feet automatically moved toward it. Like a woman in a trance she paid for her ticket and walked into the club. She headed straight toward the sound that moved her soul so much. Before she knew it, she stood in front of the stage, swaying to the music right in front of Ryan. The music just seemed to fill her body and caused her to dance. Being normally reserved she had never let go like this in public before. Her moves were natural, sensual, she just let the rhythm move her, only she and the music existed. She forgot about all the people around her and just moved in time with the music.
The music stopped and Aimee came back to the present. There was applause from all around for Ryan and his band, but there seemed to be some staring and clapping for her as well. She dared a glance up on stage and Ryan was smiling down at her, a curious look in his eyes. Aimee froze under his gaze, not knowing what to do and afraid to even look around her or at the others she could feel staring at her. Ryan got down, clearly taking a break, his eyes never leaving hers. He was immediately swarmed by some of his more ardent fans, but he kept glancing over their heads at Aimee, who had slightly turned toward him but still remained near the front of the stage.
Just as Aimee began to walk toward Ryan, she found her way blocked by a large man. “You are quite some dancer. Let me buy you a drink. I am sure you are thirsty after all that.”
“No, I'm okay,” Aimee answered and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back in front of him.
“Now don’t be like that, you can’t draw all that attention to yourself and then rebuff the after effects. You are going to let me buy you a drink!” He started to pull her toward the bar and she could feel herself shimmer. She had to fight herself from shifting in front of all these people.
Just as she was sure that she would shift despite herself, Ryan appeared between her and the man, pulling the guy’s hand off Aimee and shielding her behind his taunt body. “I believe the lady said that she did not want to get a drink with you. I think that you should respect her wishes or leave. We don’t want any trouble in here.”
The guy immediately backed up, noticing that not only was Ryan there, so were his band and the club security. “Sorry, man, just a misunderstanding, I didn’t know that she was taken. My apologies.” With that he quickly disappeared into the crowd.
“Everything all right here now, Ryan?” one security guard asked. “Are you all right, miss?”
Aimee nodded. Ryan had put a protective arm around her and she found it very hard to concentrate on the conversation, let alone speak. His scent and close proximity drove all rational thought from her mind. Ryan answered, “Yes, it looks like everything is going to be okay, just a guy finding it hard to resist a beautiful girl and taking it too far. I think we stopped it before he truly got out of hand.”
The crowd around them began to disperse, leaving Ryan and Aimee a little bit of privacy. “Are you okay? I got the feeling that you didn’t want all those people around, so I took care of things as quickly as possible,” Ryan said, looking at Aimee with concern and fascination.
It took Aimee a few moments to gather herself enough to speak. “Yes, thank you, I just wanted that man to leave me alone.”
“Well, no worries about that for the rest of the night. All eyes are on us, everyone is going to assume you are with me. No one else will bother you.” He smiled at Aimee and her heart literally sped up. “Now, if I promise to ask nicely, would you like to grab a drink with me before my next set? We can have them bring it backstage away from others if you feel more comfortable with that.”
Only .99 cents! https://www.amazon.com/Music-Awakening-Sheri-Velarde-ebook/dp/B01KIZQ22Q/
As she got out of her car, she stood for a moment, contemplating going home, but the music started and her feet automatically moved toward it. Like a woman in a trance she paid for her ticket and walked into the club. She headed straight toward the sound that moved her soul so much. Before she knew it, she stood in front of the stage, swaying to the music right in front of Ryan. The music just seemed to fill her body and caused her to dance. Being normally reserved she had never let go like this in public before. Her moves were natural, sensual, she just let the rhythm move her, only she and the music existed. She forgot about all the people around her and just moved in time with the music.
The music stopped and Aimee came back to the present. There was applause from all around for Ryan and his band, but there seemed to be some staring and clapping for her as well. She dared a glance up on stage and Ryan was smiling down at her, a curious look in his eyes. Aimee froze under his gaze, not knowing what to do and afraid to even look around her or at the others she could feel staring at her. Ryan got down, clearly taking a break, his eyes never leaving hers. He was immediately swarmed by some of his more ardent fans, but he kept glancing over their heads at Aimee, who had slightly turned toward him but still remained near the front of the stage.
Just as Aimee began to walk toward Ryan, she found her way blocked by a large man. “You are quite some dancer. Let me buy you a drink. I am sure you are thirsty after all that.”
“No, I'm okay,” Aimee answered and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back in front of him.
“Now don’t be like that, you can’t draw all that attention to yourself and then rebuff the after effects. You are going to let me buy you a drink!” He started to pull her toward the bar and she could feel herself shimmer. She had to fight herself from shifting in front of all these people.
Just as she was sure that she would shift despite herself, Ryan appeared between her and the man, pulling the guy’s hand off Aimee and shielding her behind his taunt body. “I believe the lady said that she did not want to get a drink with you. I think that you should respect her wishes or leave. We don’t want any trouble in here.”
The guy immediately backed up, noticing that not only was Ryan there, so were his band and the club security. “Sorry, man, just a misunderstanding, I didn’t know that she was taken. My apologies.” With that he quickly disappeared into the crowd.
“Everything all right here now, Ryan?” one security guard asked. “Are you all right, miss?”
Aimee nodded. Ryan had put a protective arm around her and she found it very hard to concentrate on the conversation, let alone speak. His scent and close proximity drove all rational thought from her mind. Ryan answered, “Yes, it looks like everything is going to be okay, just a guy finding it hard to resist a beautiful girl and taking it too far. I think we stopped it before he truly got out of hand.”
The crowd around them began to disperse, leaving Ryan and Aimee a little bit of privacy. “Are you okay? I got the feeling that you didn’t want all those people around, so I took care of things as quickly as possible,” Ryan said, looking at Aimee with concern and fascination.
It took Aimee a few moments to gather herself enough to speak. “Yes, thank you, I just wanted that man to leave me alone.”
“Well, no worries about that for the rest of the night. All eyes are on us, everyone is going to assume you are with me. No one else will bother you.” He smiled at Aimee and her heart literally sped up. “Now, if I promise to ask nicely, would you like to grab a drink with me before my next set? We can have them bring it backstage away from others if you feel more comfortable with that.”
September 4, 2016
Working on Art!
Despite not feeling well of late, I have taken the time to rededicate myself to learning more and working on my art. Lately I have been working on simple pencil sketches. Learning the basics so that I can apply everything I learn to my other art. Here is a little selection of the sketches I am most proud of!
September 3, 2016
Summer Interrupted... Perfect Read for Labor Day Weekend!
It's the unofficial last weekend of summer, so why not celebrate it with a beach read that has a little something for everyone. Summer Interrupted is a short and fun read with mystery, romance and a touch of horror! Only .99 cents and always free on Kindle Unlimited! smarturl.it/qbakt4
September 1, 2016
Working on Etsy!
I am so happy that I have been able to work on my etsy store more this past weekend. I added a new section, a place to sell my children's accessories for twins. I am also getting more jewelry and art up. I am gearing up for the holiday season and hope to really have my store whipped into shape in time for all your gift shopping needs! Check out my store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StokerJewelryandArt
