Lily Malone's Blog, page 20

One more day to launch! What a ride it’s been… and now I’m on The Goodbye Ride.

In less than two months, I’ve had my debut book published (His Brand Of Beautiful – with Escape Publishing) and last weekend I uploaded my new self-published novella, The Goodbye Ride.

Tomorrow, I start a blog hop. Not too many lily pads (so to speak), just a choice few.

I chose the Kindle KDP Select program, which means The Goodbye Ride is only available for hire or purchase using a Kindle, at Amazon for at least 90 days. Why did I go with this and not make it available at as many distribution centres as I could? Well… frankly, I’m doing what Alexandra Sokoloff recommends and if it’s good enough for Alex, it’s sure as heck good enough for me.

Under Kindle KDP Select, The Goodbye Ride can utilise up to five, free days amongst the 90-day exclusive listing. I’m using three of those days for the launch and I hope you take the opportunity to pick up The Goodbye Ride while it’s free.

In a nutshell: It’s a short and sweet (not too sweet) contemporary romance about a boy with a secret, a bike with a past; birds, bees, and a birthday. (The Queen’s no less).

Thanks Lilliana Anderson for the graphic

I’ve already had some lovely reviews for the book. You can see what people have to say at Goodreads and you can add The Goodbye Ride to your TBR pile there too.

More details of my lily pad hops tomorrow, plus I’ll give you a big shout out when the book is available free!

Cover design by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

Your mission, Lily Malone, should you choose to accept it: Self Publish your new novella, The Goodbye Ride.

So that’s what I’ve been doing this past weekend, and my mission is a SUCCESS! Houston… we had no major problems! Just a little bit of techno-juggling between my MS Word laptop, and my Pages Mac, converting files from Pages to Word then to HTML… sending them to my Kindle so I could watch the e-book take shape and preview everything.

There was also a last minute read through by hubby (my Ducati Pantah 650 resident expert) to make sure I had all the engine details perfect. Ducati’s don’t purr you see, they have far too much of a “stonking v-twin” to purr… A Honda, however, does purr… (That’s why I need my husband!)

And my e-book is working fine! It was so exciting to send my own e-book to my Kindle and read it on there. I’ve even enjoyed adding in all those things like acknowledgements and dedications and promo material into the mix. I’m really happy with the story, and with how the e-book looks. I absolutely love The Goodbye Ride cover, designed by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned how to hyperlink within the book to create a Table Of Contents that actually works (squee moment), and how to create ‘guides’. My only hiccup was with the fonts – I lost all my italics – (heart attack moment), but I worked out what I’d done and managed to fix the problem. (By then, requiring a stiff Scotch moment).

The Goodbye Ride is now live on Amazon. It’s a few days early, but I have read so much about problems with uploading the files, or time delays in getting the book live, that I didn’t think it would matter to have it online a few days before its ‘official’ release.

But for followers and friends – please don’t rush out and buy it yet (unless you really can’t wait!). On its official Release Day – May 23 – you can get it free at Amazon (time differences and Pacific Standard Times vs Eastern Standard Time willing); and it will be free for several days. Watch here and on Facebook – I’ll be sure to let you know when!

In the meantime (like I said – if you can’t wait) buy it here.

You can also check out my page for The Goodbye Ride and add it to your TBR list at Goodreads.

Way back in the time, (I mean – it was last year wasn’t it? That’s forever ago), Cate Ellink and I met when we were both tagged by Jenn J Mcleod in The Next Big Thing. Cate, Kerrie Paterson, Allison Tait, Jenn and I, called ourselves The DIGRITS. (Dang. I got roped into this sh*t). A great friendship formed.

Cate has a wonderful blog. I’m a very regular visitor because I love the raw honesty one finds there; plus it’s a blog where I learn something. On Sundays, Cate reviews a book she’s recently read. On Wednesdays, she reviews the local wildlife. (This is where I learn things – her science background comes through and there’s great pictures and information about spiders and cockatoos and lizards and bugs and… you know, the stuff one finds in a backyard). Then there’s Phallic Fridays… I suspect Phallic Fridays get lots and lots of traffic, but few commentators… probably because it poses tricky questions about fetishes and fantasies and menages and penis size and… ahem… if it was a coffee table book, Cate’s blog would be kept under the table.

I also, right from the outset, loved Cate’s writing voice. She’s a first person writer, which is a style I love. I’ve seen snippets of Cate’s writing on her blog. Not long ago she posted her entry to the Little Gems ‘Sapphire’ competition – and I loved it.

I wish her every success in the world with The Virginity Mission and I’m so happy that she’s now just weeks away from her first full-length published book! Way to go fellow DIGRIT! (I am also SO very happy that I get to post her incredibly gorgeous cover on my blog… phew… is it getting hot in here??)

LM: Would you please share with us: The very first draft of the opening paragraph of The Virginity Mission, compared with how it looks now?

CE: I struggle with opening paragraphs. So when I write, I write whatever comes into my head. Then for the next year or so I fuss and bother trying to turn the mess I’ve written, into something readable – with a worthy opening! Finding how my story starts is never easy and takes me ages to get it right – and even then I’m not sure it is. So here’s the mess I made of The Virginity Mission…

August 2011:

Being a twenty-one year old virgin is not something to skite about.  Which is why I keep it secret. No one need know about my non-existent sex-life. I have a heap of male friends, so no one suspects. At least, I hope not. This trip’s my big chance to break the curse. A holiday romance is perfect for bursting my cherry. Opportunities should be rife – a bushwalking trip, in mixed company, in the remote Daintree rainforest. If I can’t lose my virginity on this sort of trip, I have no hope at all.

What’s wrong: she sounds desperate, not really likeable. It’s all telling.

October 2011:

The first evening of the expedition a meeting’s called and we’re briefed. The Army will be giving vehicular support. There’s a murmur of appreciative female voices before we’re instructed that these men are not part of the expedition. They’re here to work not mingle. It doesn’t bother me. I’m looking to lose my virginity and any one of the sixty expedition men will do.

The rest of the briefing’s fine, the stuff I expect, until the National Parks and Wildlife Service guy gets up to give his safety talk. When someone calmly states, “If you’re three days from base camp and you get bitten by a snake, you can kiss your ass goodbye”, well, the reality of remote hits home. I’ve bushwalked for years… but I have always been within a few hours walk of civilisation. Suddenly we’re talking about being days walk from anyone. Hell. I was right to make no promises about my safety. My mother tried to make me promise I’d come home in one piece and I could only laugh and tell her I’d try. I was thinking about that piece of me I intend to leave behind – the dreaded cherry – and there’s no way I was telling my mother that! Now it seems there are scary things in the rainforest.

What’s wrong: too much irrelevant back story. She’s still desperate. Still telling.

Feb 2012: 

My eyes are drawn to movement as someone jumps onto the back of the truck. I blink. Once. Twice. My stomach and pelvic floor collide. Trouble. Stunning trouble. Shoulders loom from a snug khaki singlet that ripples across his stomach as he moves. Camouflage trousers do nothing to disguise the tightly rounded butt as he bends over to grab the next backpack to stow. The military man is all lithe controlled power. He climbs over the back of the truck holding someone’s gear as if it weighs nothing. Those shoulders are massive bunches of corded strength. His arms aren’t hugely bulging but deliciously defined. A sudden desire to have those arms wrapped tightly around my naked flesh burns my brain. Dear God. I’ve lost my mind.

What’s wrong: People liked this one. It’s more showing. She’s not desperate just appreciative of the view  With a little modification, it stayed.

The Published Version!

My eyes are drawn to movement. Someone jumps onto the back of the truck and I blink. Once. Twice. My stomach and pelvic floor collide.

Shoulders loom from a snug khaki singlet that ripples across his stomach as he moves. Camouflage trousers do nothing to disguise the tightly rounded butt as he bends over to grab the first backpack to stow. This military man is all lithe, controlled power. He climbs over the back of the truck holding someone’s gear as if it weighs nothing. Those shoulders are massive bunches of corded strength. His arms aren’t hugely bulging but deliciously defined. A sudden desire to have those arms wrapped tightly around my naked flesh burns my brain. Dear God,  I’ve lost my mind.

LM: Love it. Love it. Love it.

LM: What is your greatest ‘lightbulb moment’ in terms of Writing Craft?

CE: I think I’ve struggled with everything about the writing craft, and the more I learn the more I struggle. I spent 20 years working in science. I think it took me probably 10 years to learn the science-writing craft—dull, dry, factual, no colour, no voice, omniscient science style. And even then others were always correcting my stuff. Sometimes it would have more red pen on it than my own words! Science taught me not to be precious about my writing.

The last 5 years, I’ve been trying to un-learn the science-writing craft. And that hasn’t been easy. Show not tell did my head in. POV kept eluding me. Deep POV was too hard to fathom. Emotion nearly crippled me.

I don’t know that any one lightbulb has been greater than another. I just kept plodding along, thinking I had it, then finding the next thing I didn’t “get”. A lightbulb happened, I plodded onwards to the next problem. I’m not sure it will ever end.

LM: What keeps you awake at night?

CE: New people in my head. New stories. Answers to the problems I’m having in the stories I’m writing or re-writing. So many things! But once I’m asleep, I’m hard to wake 

LM: If you could choose three items on the list below to take for a week camping in the Australian outback, which three would you pick? (You can imagine never-ending electricity & batteries).

ipod (with all your favourite music)
kindle (crammed full of a mix of reading material. I don’t mind what as long as it’s lots and lots of different things.)
your favourite paperback
your significant other
I will take my chances on there being a gorgeous girl, or gorgeous man (whichever the case may be) to help me pitch my tent
food I don’t have to catch first
wine (you can assume it will always be cold – unless you prefer red)
Nespresso & endless supply of Pods (and George Clooney – no, that’s cheating – no George)
a torch in case the candles go out
moisturiser/cosmetics/hairbrush
change of clothes
mobile phone/internet connection for twitter & FB

Can I have something not on your list? Notepad and pencil (unlimited supply, please). I can’t live without scribbling down random ideas and thoughts, keeping notes, etc.

LM (snorting forcefully): Something NOT on the list!!! The nerve. Here’s a rebel. We’ll have to watch this one.

CE: p.s. I wonder what asking for something else means? I dread the psycho-analysis. 

LM: Wondering about the consequences of asking for something else shows you never paid attention when you read Oliver Twist!

LM: My book (out now with Escape Publishing) is called His Brand Of Beautiful. Can you tell me what you would describe as ‘your brand of beautiful’ – in terms of your partner?

CE: Loyalty. Life is tough but if someone’s going to stick it out with you, and you know they are going to, then it makes things easier. My husband’s incredible loyalty to his family was something that really attracted me. He was amazing with his Nan. He’d lived with her and when she was put into hospital and then the nursing home, he visited her every day, sometimes twice a day, for years. There’s nothing like that kind of loyalty.

LM: Tell us the best thing about The Virginity Mission? Who would absolutely love it?

Oh man! I love this cover…

CE: This is such a hard question. I think the best thing about The Virginity Mission, is that someone’s publishing it and Mac and Jason have stopped talking to me now. Their story is done, someone liked it, so they’re happy and gone from my mind. And that’s a great thing – there are too many people inside my head as it is!

The people who’d love this story would be those with a sense of adventure, who like a story about growing up, and who don’t mind explicit sex scenes, but it’s a loss of virginity story, so it’s kind of sweet for an erotic story.

LM: Can you share your favourite 250 words from your book? 

CE: It’s hard to have a favourite part in the story after sweating blood over it for years (I’m kind of over it)! This is the scene that started the idea for the whole story, so it’s the one that pops into my mind first, although it happens a long way into the story.

Mac (heroine) and Jason (hero) are in an outdoor spa with two others. Mac desperately wants to get Jason alone to see if he actually likes her (she’s still hopelessly confused).

Watching Jason is sheer pleasure. The top of his chest and upwards is all that’s visible but it’s keeping me occupied. Uninterrupted, huge breadth of shoulders, rounding to strong arms has my stomach turning to mush. I wish I could see more. My gaze roams freely over his face. There’s no embarrassment when he’s not looking. He has tiny lines at the corners of his lips and eyes. A small bump in the middle of his nose. A tiny scar at the point of his chin. But the most arousing thing is the dark stubble running along his jaw, across his top lip, and over his cheeks. I can almost feel the roughness beneath my fingertips as I dream of touching him. My fingers itch to reach over to him.

A foot brushes my ankle. I move my leg, thinking I’m in the way. Moments later, the foot grazes my calf. I jolt. Jason’s still asleep. I’m completely puzzled. Annie and Harry haven’t paused in their conversation and neither look like they’re moving. Whose foot is it?

The foot strokes my leg again, sending goose bumps over all my skin. Surely it isn’t for me? Is it?

My heart’s paused but ready to gallop in an instant. Every muscle is tense. I look at Jason again. His eyes are still half closed but from under heavy lids he meets my gaze. He smiles. His gaze is deep heated passion.

Oh. My. God.

LM: Oh. My. God indeed Ms Ellink. I can’t wait to read The Virginity Mission in June. I’ve pre-ordered and soon it will wing its way through to me!

If you’d like to read The Virginity Mission, you can find out more about it here.

Thank you for coming into Left Field with me Cate! And don’t forget to check Cate’s blog. Sundays. Wednesdays. Fridays. And any other day she has something to say.

I first met my wonderful Beta Reader, Marion, when His Brand Of Beautiful, published by Escape Publishing, was released in March 2013. At the time, I approached Marion (who reviews for the US website, Ravishing Romances, as Musing Maddie) to review His Brand Of Beautiful for me.

That review sparked one of those ‘online’ friendships you sometimes get where two people just click. One of the most interesting things is, Marion didn’t 4 or 5-star rate my book. She gave it 3 stars and a very honest, tactful review that included the things she loved about my book, and what she felt I needed to “unpack” more. I continue to love that phrase!

I remember Marion saying in an email to me after the review that she hoped her review hadn’t “discouraged” me. Why would it? 3 stars meant she liked it. Her review included this section:

“From the outset, their interactions were snarky, heated and volatile. Their attraction - instantaneous and sizzling. His Brand of Beautiful had a little bit of drama, witty humor and entertaining interaction between characters. Lily Malone’s descriptive prose was enchanting.”

How could any debut author not take positives out of a review like that?

Marion and I became Facebook friends and she offered at the time to Beta Read for me at a later date and I’ve just taken that offer up with my new novella, The Goodbye Ride. This time I’m self-publishing, mostly because my book is set over the June Queen’s Birthday long weekend and it seemed a shame to miss the opportunity to publish it in time for May/June.

The way I see it, there is a step between Critique Partner and book Publisher/Editor – and Marion’s Beta Reading & Proof Reading services sit right in that pocket. If you’re self-publishing, the opportunity for your book to be seen through such qualified eyes is gold.

Marion says:

“In the past, authors turned to editors at publishing houses and fellow authors for storyline advice. The self-publishing generation realises the value of cutting out the middle-man and hearing directly from the readers.  I’m an avid reader and I know there’s nothing more frustrating than stumbling over errors that detract from a story. It’s very easy to miss simple spelling errors, punctuation or timeline errors when you’re familiar with your own writing.

“I like books with meat, that are not completely predictable and that keep their readers invested. I’m not good at accepting mediocre, so I challenge authors to dig a little deeper. I take time to consider what an author needs from me to help them create the best they’re capable of creating.”

I would add right here: Editors/Publishers read and reject a lot of books and read and accept a fair share too. Generally in this day and age, I think it’s fair to say Publishers/Editors don’t have a lot of time to spend tweaking a manuscript so it’s important it is in the best place it can be when you either provide it to a publisher, or self-publish it. I’ve been impatient before, and I’ve learned the hard way that impatience prior to making submissions isn’t a good mix! Note to self, Lily Malone, DO send your manuscript to Critique Partners/Beta Readers first!

Marion says:

“A Beta reader can provide the author with feedback such as strengths and weaknesses, timeline, character and plot inconsistencies, whether any laws of physics were broken, and whether or not they liked the story. Which scenes did they love? Did they laugh, cry, sigh etc. Was the story believable and was it credible.

“A proof reader can go a step further providing light copy-edits, and highlight text that might require re-phrasing, deletion or inclusion. Often, as authors become familiar with their work, it is easy to fall in love with a scene, thus becoming blind to its shortcomings. A proof reader can lend the scene a new set of eyes and give options for the author to consider, if it is not working in their eyes.”

In her Beta reading of The Goodbye Ride, Marion gave me what I like to term, “a lightbulb moment’. I like writing dialogue and while people tend to say that dialogue is one of my strengths, I can also be guilty of ‘telling’ my story through dialogue.

Cover design by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

To illustrate, let me show you the version Marion read as Beta Reader, with where this scene is now.

Scene 1: (and the ‘chunk’ he refers to is a chunk of hair, for your context). The comments in bold are Marion’s.

Owen moved closer, trapping Liv between his big body and the Hyundai’s back wheel. “This damn chunk falls across your eye all the time. I can’t look at it without wanting to do…this.” He picked it up, tucked it behind her ear, and turned her insides into butterfly jelly.

“We’re going out tonight.” Owen scorched a kiss across her temple, so that it felt like a circle of flame branded her skin. “I’ll see you at your place about seven.”

“Where are we going?” I was expecting a ‘she breathed’

“It’s a surprise.”

She could feel pink flushing up her throat. “Do I need riding leathers?”

“Wear them if you want, but we’re not going riding tonight.” His mouth feathered from her temple, down her jaw, each breath hot with promise.

Liv shivered. “I never really liked surprises.”

“You’ll love this one.” I haven’t read the next bit to this yet, but what is happening for Liv at this point? What is her response to his proclamation of a surprise? I don’t know if it really matters, but you want to avoid letting the dialogue do all the talking if that makes sense. 

Did it make sense? I thought dialogue was showing not telling… but when Marion picked this particular point up a few more times in the manuscript, that’s when it clicked. I also kept remembering that keyword from her review of His Brand Of Beautiful. ‘Unpack more’. So here is this scene now. No doubt about it, when Lily Malone unpacks… she shakes out the whole dang suitcase!

Revised scene: 

Owen moved closer and Liv lost sight of his aunt’s retreating back and the camellia trees flanking the front steps. She couldn’t see anything but the solid wall of his chest and the mesmerising rise of his hand as he lifted it toward her face. “How can I think about transfer papers when this damn chunk of hair falls across your eye like that? How can I look at it without wanting to do…this.”

He tucked the stray hairs behind her ear. Roughened fingertips skimmed her earlobe, caressed the skin of her neck, and Liv felt all the breath squeeze from her lungs. Could Owen feel her pulse? Surely he could hear it?

“How should we celebrate all our hard work, Liv?”

“I don’t care,” she said. And she didn’t. Anywhere with him was fine.

“Should I surprise you?”

Liv had three pairs of jeans in her wardrobe, including the pair she now wore. She hoped he wasn’t thinking of anywhere too ritzy. “I never really liked surprises.”

Owen’s eyebrows arched. “You’ll ride the flying fox in the school playground but you don’t like surprises?”

“At least give me a clue about what to wear. I can hardly drag out the party heels if we’re riding the bike again.” That’s if I owned party heels.

“You’d look good in anything,” Owen said, banishing all thought of footwear from her brain as his mouth brushed her temple. “You’d look incredible in nothing.”

The husky promise in his voice—his hot breath on her skin—it turned her knees to jelly.

Owen breathed her scent, his nose in her hair. He nibbled a path around her ear. A shudder racked her body and she surrendered to the delicious things he was doing with his lips. Liv closed her eyes, slid her hands up his bare arms, great arms, shaping the muscles she felt there, loving the underlying strength.

It took a raucous whistle from the house to break through Liv’s trance.

“Bloody Mark,” Owen muttered against her jaw, lifting his head.

She took the chance to sidle sideways and hook her fingers under the door handle, her face flushed from a hot mix of embarrassment and desire. Owen held the door for her while she settled behind the wheel, glad to be sitting so he wouldn’t see her legs shake.

“Drag out the party heels if you like, Lovely. We’re not going riding tonight,” he said, big fingers splayed loosely against the window. “Tonight I want to end up somewhere with you that’s much more comfortable than the back of a bike.”

Another up and coming Aussie author, who is a great proponent for self-publishing and for self-promotion is the author of A Beautiful Struggle, A Beautiful Forever (with a new book, Alter, about to be published) Lilliana Anderson.

Lilliana also has Marion on her team of Beta readers, and this is her take on what Marion can provide:

“I need someone to pull apart my work and ask lots of questions. While it’s great having someone take a look at it and shout ‘Yay! Awesome!’ it’s not really conducive to the type of work I am trying to put out there. Some may have been happy with me releasing the book on the first draft and I’m not happy enough with that. That’s why I need Marion! I NEED her.”

Marion has now made her services more ‘official’ and has set up a new website with more information. She says her aim is: “To provide authors with an affordable proof or beta reading service, which helps produce a clean manuscript, enabling readers to remain engrossed in the story – rather than distracted by avoidable editing blips. I offer kind, honest comments laced with good humor and integrity.”

While she can tailor her services to each author, she identifies three levels of service:

Developmental Editing
Beta Read with in-manuscript commentary
Beta Reading

If you’re interested, please visit her website www.makingmanuscripts.com

Now get ready Marion. You have one final read of The Goodbye Ride to get through!

One of the search terms that pops up most often in my stats is ‘back cover blurbs’. They can be hell to write. I swear, the less words you have to describe your book the harder it gets. I’ve yet to see an author shout loud and proud that she/he loves writing a synopsis. I don’t remember reading about anyone enjoying writing blurbs… and some editors/publishers or contest organisers have the cheek to ask you to tell them what your book is about in one line. One line. Aye Karumba!

Cover design by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

This is why twitter is not for me. 140 characters? You’re kidding!

So far, I’ve written one blurb, for my debut novel, His Brand of Beautiful. The gurus at Escape Publishing left it unchanged, so I have to trust they felt it fit the bill.

Here is my blurb for my new release, The Goodbye Ride, a contemporary romance novella due out later this month.

I’d love to hear if you think this blurb does the job. Would you be enticed to click ‘buy’?

The Goodbye Ride

Olivia Murphy is a woman on a mission. Gracing the front lawn of a house in her Adelaide Hills hometown sits the vintage Ducati motorbike that once belonged to her brother.

Liv wants to buy the precious bike and bring it back into her family, and she wants to seal the deal before tourists descend on her town for the upcoming holiday weekend. Tourists with far fatter wallets.

One person stands in her way.

Owen Carson likes rare and beautiful things and he’s got the Ducati in his sights. Until he meets Liv, and finds himself intrigued by beauty of a far different kind.

The Goodbye Ride is a story about a boy with a secret; a bike with a past; and what happens when they all get together on a birthday weekend. (The Queen’s, no less).

By the way: Do you share my dislike of the word ‘blurb’? We slave over these things. I’m sure there should be a far fancier term to sum up 150 words (or so) of blood, sweat and tears!

I have heard from two of my critique partners’ about my novella The Goodbye Ride, and I’m waiting on the third set of comments from Musing Maddie (who by the way, is soon to start her own proof reading and beta reading service for authors, Making Manuscripts. Check her out on Facebook.)

Cover design by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

Here’s what they’ve said to date:

“This is a really heartwarming story, I enjoyed it. It is spiced with apt

new phrases and a wryly ironic narrator.” Comment 1.

“Well I enjoyed it. I loved from the love scene to the end the best. I was

flicking ahead wanting to see what happened then and I only do that in good books.” Comment 2.

“I have to say, I really do love this story. I love how you have fleshed it out thus far too. Really good! I’m right at the start of the weekend at the vineyard…” Comment 3.

 

As for me? I would want to read The Goodbye Ride based on its gorgeous cover alone!

Would you like an early sneak peek of The Goodbye Ride? And would you be prepared to give the novella your honest review on Amazon and Goodreads when it launches later this month?

If so, please let me know! You can catch me in the comments below, or by email: lilymalone @ mail.com

Elise K Ackers new book, Ask Me To Stay, published with Destiny Romance is the first in a series of three  Elise will publish with Destiny Romance this year. Elise has been on a singing, dancing, blogging tour through April that I must admit, leaves me dizzy just watching! So I am very glad she has sat down long enough to be my guest today!

The author with the best smile in the business, Elise K. Ackers

 

 

LM: Would you please share with us the opening paragraph of your current book in at least two stages? 

EA: The very first version of Ask Me To Stay:

Death was damned inconvenient. Sure, Bree wasn’t exactly high-stepping it in her modern and somehow feminine casket, but her troubles were over.

Ethan’s were just beginning.

All eyes were on him, despite the occasion. He was neither the deceased nor the widow, yet his existence commanded attention. The rogue brother-in-law, home to offer his condolences after years of neglect. Dean’s kid brother. The youngest son, the youngest Foster.

Ethan thumbed his beer. He knew what they all thought of him. If he couldn’t guess, the locals were kind enough to whisper within earshot. A drinking problem. A falling-out with his brother. Off the tracks, headed for ruin.

It was all true enough.

And the polished version:

Death brought people together. It paid no mind to schedules, to relationships, to distance. And the more senseless and untimely the death, the more people seemed to fracture. Bree Foster, who had so often been described as full of life, was now anything but, and standing in the living room of the house he had grown up in, surrounded by mourners gathered for her wake, Ethan was struggling to believe that his sister-in-law was gone. Here one moment, gone the next – leaving behind a family she adored, and a brother-in-law she hardly knew.

All eyes were on him, despite the occasion. He was neither the deceased nor the widower, yet his presence commanded attention. The reprobated wanderer, home to offer his condolences after years of neglect. Dean’s kid brother. The youngest son, the youngest Foster.

Ethan thumbed his beer. He knew what they all thought of him. And if he couldn’t guess, the locals were kind enough to whisper within earshot. A drinking problem. A falling-out with his brother. Off the tracks, headed for ruin.

Some of it was true enough.

LM: 8 lines from the top of page 88 (yes, I stole this idea, sorry!)

EA:

away from the tree and stumbled the remaining distance. She needed her keys. And she needed to be away from the heartache she had inflicted on herself. Because she couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t stand there and watch Ethan leave her in his dust for a second time.

Sam wasn’t that girl – that girl who didn’t get it. She was smart and independent. She was courageous and she went after what she wanted. But Sam didn’t bounce. When she was hurt, it crippled her.

She had to leave town for a while. She’d come back when he was gone, pick up the pieces and move on. It was the only way to get through this.

LM: What is your greatest ‘lightbulb moment’ in terms of Writing Craft. 

EA: I used to struggle with short sentences. It took me a fair while to realise that a short sentence had the capacity to deliver far more punch than a longer, wordier one. That was a real light bulb moment for me – I used to try to say everything at once, amongst too many commas and semi-colons. Not so much now. I’m a big fan of varying sentence lengths now.

LM: Interesting Elise. I feel like I write ‘short’ too.

LM: What keeps you awake at night?

EA: Regrets. Things I said, things I didn’t. Better ways to have said things. But, if I can quieten that voice, then there’s always the crowd of characters jabbering away, telling me their stories. They can be pretty obnoxious about being heard sometimes!

LM: If you could choose three items on the list below to take for a week camping in the Australian outback, which three would you pick? (You can assume there are magical batteries for anything requiring power). 

ipod
kindle/e-reader
your favourite paperback
your significant other
I will take my chances on there being a gorgeous girl, or gorgeous man (whichever the case may be) to help me pitch my tent
food I don’t have to catch first 
wine (you can assume it will always be cold – unless you prefer red)
battery powered Nespresso & endless supply of Pods (and George Clooney – no, that’s cheating – no George)
a torch in case the candles go out
moisturiser/cosmetics/hairbrush
change of clothes
mobile phone/internet connection for twitter & FB

Which suggests I’m up for a potentially romantic getaway, free from raw food, with a “get me out of here” tweet at the ready, should my castaway mate confess to loving skinny jeans, Collingwood and Vin Diesel films.

LM:Hey! That’s cheating. You did your own psychology analysis! You’re the first guest I’ve had who was ready to take their chances on a gorgeous bloke arriving out of the bush mists… This is a romance site, remember! It could happen! Go Elise I say.

LM: My book is called His Brand Of Beautiful. Can you tell me what you would describe as ‘your brand of beautiful’ – in terms of your current partner? 

EA:Thoughtful, sarcastic, clever and generous. Someone who is willing to fight for who and what they want; someone passionate and spontaneous. A leader.

LM: Can you share your favourite 250 words from Ask Me To Stay and tell us why it’s your favourite part?

Kneeling beneath the shower in the tub of the upstairs bathroom, Ethan gripped the new metal bar and surrendered his entire body weight to its mercy. Rowan and Nina watched from the sink counter, their feet bumping against the cupboard doors.

No one fell. Nothing broke.

Rowan and Nina each took a turn holding it. Rowan was more thorough in his testing than his sister, who attempted to use it as a monkey bar.

‘It’s not for playing on,’ Ethan warned. His stern tone made her pause. ‘It’s only for if you need help, do you understand?’

She nodded soberly.

He crossed to the countertop and removed something palm-sized from a supermarket bag. ‘I also got you guys this.’ He held it out to them. ‘Soap on a rope. You hook it around your wrist.’ He demonstrated on a wide-eyed Rowan. ‘You can’t drop it. See?’

Rowan uncurled his fingers and the soap bounced on its rope in the air. He did it again and again before he allowed Ethan to hook the soap over the shower tap.

‘When it gets skinny just ask your dad for a new one, okay?’

The kids returned to their perch and Ethan set about neatening up the wall tiling grout.

His audience was silent and patient. When Ethan was done, Rowan handed him a piece of paper. Ethan thumbed the sticky tape against the new shower rail. Rowan’s WET sign was back at work.

He stood back and admired the job. His heart fluttered when tiny fingers hooked around his elbow.

‘I wish you’d come before.’ Nina rubbed her nose as she stared at the shower.

Rowan nodded.

This is my favourite part because of how real it feels to me, like a scene in a movie. I see the faces of those gorgeous, grieving children; I hear their feet banging against the cupboard door. Their uncle is trying to fix their fractured lives however he can, and my heart goes out to Ethan in this scene. But this section is a real turning point for the three of them. It’s an important moment, and it has replayed in my mind countless times.

The blurb:

When family tragedy brings bad boy Ethan Foster home, he doesn’t expect a warm welcome. In the small town of Hinterdown reputation is everything – and Ethan’s was ruined long ago. Nobody wants him around, particularly not Sam O’Hara, the girl he left behind.

There’s still a powerful spark between them, but Sam is afraid to risk her heart again. And Ethan is hiding a secret that will have repercussions for his whole family. Will the townspeople ever forgive him? More importantly, will those he loves the most find it in their hearts to take him back?

Web links:

Website: www.elisekackers.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliseKAckers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elise-K-Ackers/145929782088997

Buy links:

Destiny Romance: http://www.destinyromance.com/products/9781742536118/ask-me-stay-foster-novel

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/ask-me-to-stay/id631063708?mt=11

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Me-To-Stay-ebook/dp/B00C10FE6M/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1365916147&sr=1-3&keywords=Elise+K+Ackers

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Ask-Me-To-Stay/book-r3rQIwclqUmS_CEckMRJvQ/page1.html

Good luck with Ask Me To Stay, Elise, and with the series this year. You will be busy! Keep singing and dancing, we love that beautiful smile.

I finished rewrites of The Goodbye Ride this afternoon. It’s now 28,000 words exactly. I had this ‘thing’ about getting it to 28,000 words when I realised how close I was. I went 28,028; then 27,992 and up and down and then, 28,000. Thank you delete key. Thank you word-count function.

It’s silly really, but when you have a nice big even number like that, it’s fun to hit it exactly.

It’s funny how The Goodbye Ride has inched its way into this very special place in my heart. I think it’s because it’s a story based on true events. I’ve written elsewhere about my inspiration for it, but if you’d like to read it, you can here.

I am going to self-publish it. This has been another momentous decision and there have been various factors influencing that decision.

At 28,000 words it’s a novella, and testing the self-pubbing waters by starting with a ‘smaller’ book seems a good plan
I love the idea of having more control over the book, its cover and marketing
Events in the book take place over the four days of the June Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend, and no publisher even in this digital age, can turn a book around that fast.

Tonight I emailed the manuscript to my Critique Partners, and to Musing Maddie (a book blogger and avid romance reading enthusiast who offers a Beta Reading service).

I’m so excited to see what they think. I’m so excited about self-publishing it.

I’m just… excited!

 

 

So excited by the cover of my new novella, The Goodbye Ride.

Cover design by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl.

This is designed by Wendy Johnston of Bright Eyed Owl. Wendy is from the Barossa in South Australia and she loves a good red… a good white… a great bottle of bubbles. She’s the perfect cover artist to design a book that has wine in its veins.

I’m blessed to count two wonderful graphic designers as friends, Wendy and Lu. (Lu is convinced though, that she is destined to be a nurse).

Now the trick for me is, stop cover gazing and start writing. I need to push through with my revisions…

If you would like to read the start to The Goodbye Ride as an excerpt, click here.

It has been a momentous week in the Malone household. My husband is reading my book, His Brand Of Beautiful.

Now to give you some context, these would be my husband’s favourite authors: John Sandford, Michael Robotham and Leah Giarratano – all crime/thrillers. The last book he read was: Dogs Of Winter by Kem Nunn which is about a journo who goes in search of a mystery big wave surfing spot and encounters no end of trouble on the way. I’ve read this book too and it is BLEAK. (Great book, but seriously. HEAs are very few and far between in this one.)

My Crit Partner was surprised to hear that hubby hadn’t read HBOB. My problem was, there was no way I was going to let my husband read it until I had some validation that it was actually any good. (Which, I now have, thanks to Kate Cuthbert at Escape Publishing, and some lovely reviews).

So when hubby announced he wanted my Kindle so he could read my book, I handed it over. Which means I now get the fun of sharing some of his comments along the way (comment in bold):

I like how you describe things. (And he picked out this passage below).

Dark fish-hooks and dagger points curled in his fringe and at his temple, a fat raindrop quivered like it didn’t dare slide.

You know? I’m not enjoying this too badly at all. (Someone tell me whether that’s a double negative?)

Then a conversation I never thought I would hear: Hubby on the phone to his mother talking about my book. (You’ll forgive me that it’s a one-sided conversation – but it will show you that I paid attention in Point Of View school!)

“I’m reading Lily’s book at the moment.”

“No. It’s good. I’m enjoying it. But I haven’t got to any steamy sex scenes yet.”

Me: *Blush*

But then this one came from out of the blue:

“I found a mistake in your book.”

“What? Where?”

Now I could tell you the boob he found, but that would ruin my fun. I have decided to run a competition for anyone who has already read HBOB to spot the mistake. I will give you some clues.

I think only a bloke would find it (or a woman who is very mechanically minded)
It involves an item of household machinery
It involves my description of a sound that machinery makes
It isn’t to do with a wrench or a spanner or a red shirt (sorry Juanita Kees)

Hubby’s reading of HBOB was interrupted by the weekend and its bevy of football games, but I have just been out for my Sunday afternoon walk and on my return, he is once again ensconced with my Kindle… and he’s just given me another comment:

“I think your main character, Christina, swears too much.”

This is the section he read:

Then she heard it. Pow. Pow. Pow.

All the air rushed from her lungs and she felt tears overflow, slide down her cheeks.

My God, Tate! It sounds like a hammer. Like our kid’s a fucking carpenter.

“I think Christina is too prim and proper to swear so much.”

“She’s not prim and proper!” I say defensively.

“Well, she’s the CEO of a winery… she’s a city girl,” he says defensively. “I don’t think she’d say that in a doctor’s surgery.

I get the last word: “She doesn’t say it, she thinks it!”

And hubby shuts up.

So having had my fun for the afternoon at my wonderful husband’s expense… I’m signing off.

Anyone who would like to play ‘spot my boob’… (ahem), if you can leave me a comment and if someone gets it right (or gets close)… I will gift any person you’d like to nominate their own e-copy of His Brand Of Beautiful.