The Journey of "My Heart is Yours"

I think that I've talked about my current project, My Heart is Yours, before on this blog, but I don't think that I've ever told you much about it. There is a bit of a story behind the story. (There always is). I'm close to starting work on my third, and possibly final, draft of this story. Today, I will tell you how this story came to be, how long it's taken me to get this far, how much I've actually spent collectively working on this story, etc. In short, the story behind the story.

I started this story when I was 15, in 10th grade. The initial idea was to have it be a short story. It stemmed from a dream that I had, actually. I dreamt that I was in a family with three brothers where the parents had passed away. I woke up, sometime throughout the day remembered the dream and decided to write a story about it.  I added a prologue that added another twist to this story. I began writing and the story took on a life of it's own. It could not be called a short story anymore; I knew that it was going to grow into something larger than that. New characters and new plot elements were emerging. I knew that this was going to be more than a short story; I resolved myself to it. 

Throughout high school I worked on this intermittently. By my freshman year of college I was working on chapter 9 and wrote up to about chapter 16 or so during that year. During my sophomore year I wrote chapters 17 through 20. I put it aside after that and didn't pick it up again until January 2013. I had recently gotten home after a particularly bad hospital stay in December of 2012.  Even though I was positively exhausted, I found that I was hardly able to sleep at all. I kept my laptop at the foot of my bed. I really didn't have to worry about kicking it off of the bed because I still couldn't quite move by myself. My mom had to help me walk around, even in the house. So I would often find myself up at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and not able to sleep. I would take out my laptop and write. Which was also particularly difficult because this hospital stay had also left me with a lazy eye; so I was seeing double. And I hadn't yet gotten the prisms on my glasses that would allow me to see one image when I had them on. Still, I wrote. One of my New Year's Goals for 2013 was to finish the first draft of My Heart is Yours and I did so before the end of January. 

Then came doing the first round of edits. I was still in college; my last full semester of my senior year. As you can imagine, the editing was intermittent. I didn't finish my first round of edits until October 10, 2013. I know this because I have an entry in my journal about it. Now, I had decided that for my first round of edits I would print out my whole manuscript and make notes on it. Therefore, after finishing the editing I had to type in the edits. I don't remember why I didn't start this in October, but I didn't. Or in the beginning of November, for that matter. Anyway, I didn't. And at the end of November into the beginning of December my boyfriend (now my fiance) was coming to visit. I didn't want to be doing work while he was here because we don't see each other in person too often. On December 7th I made a schedule for getting my edits typed in. I stuck to it and even did more than I had scheduled on some days. My goal was to get it out to beta readers by December 31st. I finished and got the manuscript out to them by Christmas Eve! (I would say that collectively, it has probably taken me about a year to get to this point). I have since received one of my beta's notes (which weren't terrifying! Phew!) and I am going to receive the other's notes very soon. After that, I'm going to work on the third draft. Hopefully, this will also be the last draft. I'm also going to be working on my query letter and when everything is ready I am going to query agents and/or publishers. I haven't decided quite how long I'm going to give myself, but if after a certain amount of time I don't get any offers I am going to self publish this. I need to get Sam and Jason's story out to the world! (Protagonists in my story). 

If you read this all, thank you, I'm impressed. And also grateful that you're interested. This story means a lot to me and I am going to share it with the world one day. Hopefully, one day not too far from now! :) 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Blitz + Guest Post ~ Full Steam Ahead by Valerie Chase

 

Full Steam Ahead

by Valerie Chase

Release Date: 01/14/14

Summary from Goodreads:

Seven days aboard a luxury cruise. The perfect getaway from it all.

At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell was hoping for.

Georgia wishes she could run away from the nightmare that has consumed her life, but she can’t. With her inbox filling with menacing emails, all she can do is try to get through her sorority’s winter break cruise without anyone realizing how wrecked she is. So she really doesn’t need Jace McLaren seeing through her tacked-on smile when no one else seems to notice.

Growing up with a father in jail, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.

As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t risk telling him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.

But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to save her.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19105586-full-steam-ahead?ac=1

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Full-Steam-Ahead-Sea-Swept-ebook/dp/B00HTB4UC2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1389501892&sr=8-4&keywords=valerie+chase

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/full-steam-ahead-valerie-chase/1118042918?ean=2940148221746&itm=1&usri=2940148221746

GUEST POST

5 Things You Didn’t Know About FULL STEAM AHEAD!

1. Why did I set Full Steam Ahead on a cruise ship? Well, I live in the rather un-tropical city of Washington, DC and so I thought it would be awesome to live vicariously through my characters!

2. I guess you could say that Full Steam Ahead was born at the Olive Garden. During lunch with a good friend, I told her about an idea I had for a book—an NA romance set on a cruise. We spent the rest of our meal brainstorming plot ideas and character motivations!

3. The character of Yasmin, Georgia’s best friend, was so much fun to write. I initially intended her to be a minor character but I fell in love with her voice. Not surprisingly, my next book will be Yas’ story!

4. I love coming up with my character’s names. I chose Georgia because I wanted a name that was sweet and southern. And I chose Jace because it simply sounded sexy.

5. I’ve always wanted to be a writer but it took me a long time to complete my first book—which is Full Steam Ahead. I hope you enjoy it!

About the Author:

I'm Valerie but please feel free to call me Val. I live in the Washington, DC area; and I write New Adult romance. I'm hoping to publish my first novel (set on a cruise ship!) in late 2013.

As for my writing, I love sexy banter and guys whose hearts are in the right place, even if their heads sometimes aren't. I love discovering strong, awesome characters, putting them in entertaining situations, and watching them argue their way to love.

Author Links:

http://valeriechase.blogspot.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7468823.Valerie_Chase

https://twitter.com/val_chase

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valerie-Chase/324942107643538

http://pinterest.com/yayvalerie/

Subscribe to Val’s Mailing List:

 http://blogspot.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=78efc236b72dd1f3c03837d4d&id=b31b9806a2

***GIVEAWAY***

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Book Blitz Organized By:

 

Book Signing Recap!

As you may know, yesterday I had a book signing at The Branding Iron in Peekskill, New York. I would say that the signing went very well! There was a pretty good turn out and I definitely sold a decent number of books and t-shirts! I also got some orders for the tote bags that my mom and I were carrying! Today, I thought that I would share some photos from this event! (By the way, there is going to be another event at The Branding Iron this year. ;) 

My two poetry collections, Thousands of Mornings and Holiday Hospital Stay Poetry Collection 2012, standing up for display. (On a cookbook stand that I got my mom for Christmas).

From left to right: my stepmom (Darlene), my dad (James), my mom (Christina) and, in the purple dress, me (Amanda Leigh). :) 

This a picture of one of my professors from college,at Pace University, and I. 

Here I am signing books. :) 

This is a picture of Tana, the owner of The Branding Iron, and I. She is the one who had the idea for this event and put it together. :) Behind us is a pretty good shot of that t-shirt that I was talking about. :) 

The book signing was definitely a lot of fun! (Lunch was very good, also). I signed a pretty fair amount of books. I had to stop myself from signing too quickly. (My handwriting is rather messy). Thank you to everyone who came out! To anyone who couldn't, don't worry! I'll have more signings in the future! And like i said, there will be another event at The Branding Iron this year! For those of you too far... hopefully one day I'll be on a tour or something and come to you! ;) Thank you again to The Branding Iron, Tana, anybody who came out to the signing and anyone who helped me to set up and buy supplies! Have a great day everyone! :D 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Signing Today!

So today I have a book signing at The Branding Iron in Peekskill, New York today!! I'm really excited and just wanted to do a super quick post to let you guys know! It will also be pretty cool to see a whole bunch of my books together! We'll be selling my two books (Thousands of Mornings and Holiday Hospital Stay Poetry Collection 2012) and Thousands of Mornings t-shirts. We'll also be giving out bookmarks and business cards. I'm going to bring a camera and I will remember to take pictures and have people take pictures so that I can share them. I'll share them on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaLeigh) and I'll also do a blog post telling you all how the signing went! That's all I wanted to share! I'll post an update on how the book signing went early next week! 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Review ~ How to Be Alone poem by Tanya Davis, illustrations by Andrea Dorfman

Title: How to Be Alone

Author: poem by Tanya Davis, illustrations by Andrea Dorfman

Release Date: October 22nd 2013 (first published October 20th 2013)

Published By: Harper

Page Amount: 128 pages, Hardcover

GoodReads Blurb: 

A charming and deeply poignant illustrated poem based on the popular viral Internet video that has captured the hearts of millions worldwide.

If you are at first lonely, be patient.
If you're not been alone much, or if when you were, you weren't okay with it, then just wait . . .

From a solitary walk in the woods to sitting unaccompanied on a city park bench to eating a meal and even dancing alone, certain activities can feel strange when you're on your own. We rarely treasure those moments, even though there are abundant possibilities and delights waiting to be discovered when we have the time to just be with ourselves. Tanya Davis's words and Andrea Dorfman's beautiful illustrations soothe the disquiet that accompanies this fear of aloneness, and celebrate the power of solitude to change our views of ourselves and the world. How to Be Alone reveals how, removed from the noise and distractions of other lives, we can find acceptance and grace within.

For those who have never been by themselves, or for those who relish being on their own, this moving work encourages us to recognize and embrace the possibilities of being alone—and reminds us of a universe of joy, peace, and discovery waiting to unfold.

Review:

I saw this book on the YouTube channel BookRatMisty. I thought that the concept of an illustrated poem put into a book sounded so wonderful. 

I got this in the mail a couple of days ago. A couple of my friends were over and they both read the book sitting right there at the dining room table. They went on for about five or ten minutes about how wonderful this book was, so I said "I guess that I should read this tonight." They replied "Definitely." 

So, of course, that night I read this book before I dove into the other book that I've been reading. I absolutely loved this! First of all, the poem itself is wonderful! It really conveys that it is okay to spend time alone or to not be going out with someone, for instance. I think that society places a lot of importance on both of these things. Society says that we shouldn't want to spend time alone and that we should always be going out with someone. So much so, that many of us feel like doing the opposite is frowned upon. This poem lets you know that these things are okay. It also walks you through step by step how to get comfortable with being alone. The poem starts out with acceptable places to be alone. (The bathroom, for example). My favorite is the library. From those places Tanya Davis takes us through a course, almost, as to how to be comfortable being alone in other places. 

To top it all off, the illustrations are beautiful. Such vibrant colors are used throughout. And these are full page illustrations that just add to the poem on the page. My favorite illustrations are probably of the girl sitting in the library amid a long bookshelf and feet swimming in the water of a pool. The way that the blues and greens blended together in that illustration was just amazing. 

So, all in all, this poem coupled with these illustrations is a huge hit. I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody. A most definite 5 stars! 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Blitz ~ Lost Without You by Liz Hannah

 

 

Lost Without You (Haven #1)

by Liz Hannah 

Release Date: 12/30/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Grace Young thought she was a survivor - until the day her twin brother died, leaving her parents heartbroken and their relationship with Grace fractured beyond repair. Now all Grace wants is a chance to experience something of a normal life, before it's all too late.

Going to college hundreds of miles from home seems like the right way to embrace her new found freedom, especially after years of homeschooling, but while Grace takes to her classes naturally, it's the other side of college that she's unprepared for.

The parties. The friendships. The boys. Especially one Dean Michaels, the Haven University's star soccer player. Fate throws the pair together, and their friendship starts to turn into something more. But can Grace keep the secrets of her past hidden without hurting those she's come to count on the most?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17833280-lost-without-you?ac=1

Buy Links: 

(not available yet)

Excerpt:

It’s dark when I wake, except for the glow of the television. There’s no sound, but the movie we started watching earlier is playing; again, I presume, because I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen this part before. I can’t remember what it was about, aside from that it was a nineties adaption of Jane Austen’s Emma, the Californian accents all too uncomfortably familiar.

I blink a couple of times, stretching out. My arm collides with something solid, and I freeze, realizing that I’m not alone on the couch. Glancing upwards, I find myself looking into emerald eyes that seem to be illuminated in the soft light.

Oh, that’s right.

I quickly scramble to sit up, only to pause again the next second, my balance wavering. I’m half on Dean’s lap, and his hands shoot out to my waist to steady me before I fall off. A small wave of dizziness flows through me, and though I’m acutely aware of Dean’s fingers pressing into my side, a sweater the only thing between our skin, I’m glad that he has hold of me.

“Hey.” I take a deep breath in before exhaling. The hand I’ve placed on his shoulder burns like fire, and there’s an intensity building that scares me to death, but I can’t quite bring myself to pull away. In fact, instead of moving away from Dean like I should, I’m acutely aware that we’re so close, his breath tickling the loose strands of hair around my face.

“Hi.” His voice is thick from sleep. He tucks one behind my ear, his fingers hovering over the side of my face for a fraction of a second before pulling away. I want to lean in to his touch.

I shift my gaze away from his. This is not me. I’m not the kind of girl who melts when a guy looks at her. Especially one I still don’t know that well.

Lies, a voice hisses inside my head. You do know this boy, better than you think. Better than you want to know.

“You looked so peaceful; I didn’t want to wake you.” I could feel his words rumble in his chest. My lips turn up in a small smile. He was watching me sleep?

A quick look down at his watch told me it was well after midnight. I don’t even want to know how many texts Rosie’s sent to find out where I am. The thought alone sends a blush across my face.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It’s been a long week.”

Dean nodded. “Midterms are an ass.”

I shift slightly, moving my weight into the dip between his legs, alleviating the pressure on his own, but he didn’t seem to mind. Instinctively, as if he thought I was about to run off, his fingers bunched the edges of my sweater together, holding on to me tighter.

I’m not going anywhere.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

I look down, at his chest. It rises slowly with his heartbeat, calm and even. How can he be so relaxed? I can feel the tension knotting its way through my own body. The v neck of his sweater dips low, small swirls of hair escaping up. I wonder what it would feel like to run my hand across his chest.

I blink. Question. He’d asked a question.

“Uh, nothing, as of yet. Study? Maybe. What about you?”

My voice sounds as if I just swallowed helium. His he as affected by me as I am of him?

I wouldn’t know. I can’t look him directly in the eye, so I concentrate on a spot on the wall, just below his ear. Brown locks curl around the nape of his neck, and it takes all of my self-control to not stretch out and play with them. What was it about the darkness that made us so bold?

“Come home with me. Have Thanksgiving with my family.”

I straighten up. Hands tighten around my waist, preparing for me to bolt. I don’t give in to my instinct to run. With all the heat that was passing between us, what did going home with him mean? 

And why was my brain screaming at me to say yes?

About the Author:

Liz Hannah is a New Adult author that calls both Scotland and Australia home. Currently studying at university, when she’s not busy reading or writing, Liz can be found procrastinating from her studies pinning everything on Pinterest or collecting GIFs from Tumblr. 

Author Links:

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

***GIVEAWAY***

International giveaway – one winner will win a New Adult prize pack, consisting of Lost Without You swag, two New Adult titles and a dandelion necklace, as featured in Lost Without You.

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Book Blitz Organized By:

 

Interview with Mandi Lynn ~ Author of Essence!

I recently found Mandi Lynn's videos on YouTube and began watching nearly every one of them. Through watching her videos I found out that she had self-published a young adult novel, Essence, while she was still in high school. I knew then that I really wanted to interview her. You all know that I self-published two poetry collections and that I always like to support self-published authors. So, today, here is that interview with Mandi Lynn, teen author of Essence. 

Amanda Leigh: For those not familiar with your book, where did the idea for Essence come from?

Mandi Lynn: Before I started writing Essence I had gone on vacation in New Hampshire and took a picture of this gorgeous basin/waterfall. A few months later I wanted to write a book and found the photo I had taken and decided to make a story out of the location.

Amanda Leigh: At what point during writing it did you decide that you wanted to have it published?

Mandi Lynn: I think I had always wanted to publish it. At first it was just a private project but by the time I finished the first draft I already had dreams of publishing it.

Amanda Leigh: When you self-publish, you often have to do much of the marketing. Tell us about what it’s like to market your own book. What are some things that you do/did?

Mandi Lynn: Marketing can be a nightmare or it can be really fun. It’s hard for me to market my book to people I’m talking to because I hate feeling like I’m trying to sell myself. But online it’s relatively easy to sell a book. I make my videos on YouTube and make sure everyone who watches knows I wrote a book. From there the book sells itself as long as it gets good reviews.

Amanda Leigh: What is your favorite and least favorite part of marketing your own book?

Mandi Lynn: My favorite part is just saying I wrote a book! I mean, how many teenagers can say that? My least favorite part is how marketing is something you constantly have to do in order to sell books, and I’ll admit I’m not the best at it, but I’m still learning.

Amanda Leigh: What made you decide to self-publish Essence?

Mandi Lynn: I decided to self-publish after writing to so many agents and hearing nothing. I thought my book was good, but no one else was telling me that because it never got the chance. So I took the big leap and made a huge risk by putting my book out there when I didn't even know if other people would like it. In the end it was well worth it.

Amanda Leigh: What has the experience of self-publishing been like?

Mandi Lynn: Self-publishing was never my first idea. For the longest time I wanted to traditionally publish my book but that never happened. As a self-published author I had to do all the work myself and it was a great learning experience, though not ideal. It can be frustrating at times to self-publish, but the rewards outrank everything else.

Amanda Leigh: Have you worked on any other novels? Anything that you can tell us about?

Mandi Lynn: I had been writing another novel but due to the fact that I’m in advanced classes in my senior year of high school and that I have a job, I've been unable to write much of anything this past year. I plan on writing again as soon as possible because it’s a part of me I miss dearly.

Amanda Leigh: How long have you wanted to be an author?

Mandi Lynn: I never planned on being an author. It wasn’t until about my 8th grade year that I even had an interest in reading. After I discovered the magic of books I wanted to write my own story, and here I am today, a published author.

Amanda Leigh: Do you listen to music while you write or as inspiration for writing certain scenes et cetera?

Mandi Lynn: I always listen to music! It’s what helps me get into the zone and zero in on the emotions I want to depict.

Amanda Leigh: What are your future goals as an author?

Mandi Lynn: I don’t know what the future holds for me right now. I was just recently accepted into my first choice college, but I’m not sure if I can see myself in school for another four years. I definitely want to write full time some day, but until then I’m taking things day by day and doing what is best for me.

About the Book:

It starts with a shift in the atmosphere. The forest greets Emma with startling force. At first she can’t move her limbs. Then her vision is rendered useless. The sensation comes more often, and the symptoms become frightening as Emma is left paralyzed to the force that emerges from the forest. Voices come in dream at first, commanding against her will. Something is out there that calls Emma to the forest. It isn’t going to fade until she surrenders.

Buy Essence: http://www.amazon.com/Essence-Mandi-Lynn/dp/149043805X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375330705&sr=8-1&keywords=mandi+lynn

About the Author:

Mandi Lynn is the young adult author of her debut novel, Essence. Beginning to write the story when she was only thirteen years old, after three and a half years of hard work, Essence was published and in print. To graduate in 2014, meanwhile Mandi goes to a vocational high school where she takes cosmetology alongside writing novels and doing regular schoolwork. Mandi can now be found on YouTube hosting YA Ink—a series of videos about writing and publishing—and sharing her journey as a writer.

Mandi Lynn's Website: http://mandilynn.com/

A big thank you to Mandi Lynn for joining me on the blog! Best of luck to you! I look forward to reading Essence and any future work! Happy 2014!