Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

“The date is October the 26th 2017 I have been waiting for years. you’ve gotten me hooked on your books and I’m just desperate to know whether you’ve given up or what the new release date is not to be rude but to be fair you’ve promised all of your fans a 4th book why hasn’t it been released yet?? ”

â€� Jane, from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

“Honestly adore you work. I was wondering when is you new book launching? So excited!”

� Chantelle, from Wattpad

Dear Jane and Chantelle and All my Readers:Ìý

The very first thing I want you to know is that I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU OR THIS BOOK SERIES. Y’all mean the world to me and I want you to have the books in your hands just as badly as you want to read them.Ìý

Evermore WILL be a book. It IS coming. I cannot tell you when, but I did promise a fourth book and there will be a fourth book.Ìý

And there will be better-written books.Ìý
And even more books after that.Ìý

So please don’t lose hope or give up on me.Ìý

With that being said, I am writing a brand new book for NaNoWriMo, one I started researching back in 2015. I don’t know if I’ll finish it or not but I needed to create something new, different, to keep from wearing myself out.Ìý

I am still working extremely hard on the Pretty in Black series so please don’t think I’ve given up on that just because I’m working on something new. I just needed a small break. Yes, I’m doing NaNoWriMo but I’m still writing Pretty in Black too. I have sooooo much to do, it’s all very stressful and exhilarating at the same time. But I promise you that books are coming. All of the older books I’ve written (Frankie’s Monster, Eternally, The Summer of You and Me, the Pretty in Black series) will be returning as shiny, polished, professional novels.Ìý

There will also be a (re)launch of the brand new Pretty in Black books first. Evermore will release after books 1-3 are back out there in their shiny new forms. The reason I cannot give any specific release dates at this time is because the books are not ready.Ìý

What’s taking so long?Ìý

I am rewriting the books.Ìý

In fact, I will be rewriting every book I’ve written since 2011. Aaaaand working on brand new books too.Ìý

°Â³ó²â?Ìý

Because I wanted to go PRO.Ìý

What is Pro writing? It’s when your book is 100. No typos. It’s written well, it flows well, and SELLS. The book has a nice cover, epic editing, the whole package, no corners cut. And that takes time, blood, sweat, and tears to achieve, aaaaaand, an astronomical amount of edits. Edits that I am doing myself. Yep, that’s right. I don’t have an editor. I am training myself to perform ALL of the edits, developmental and copy.Ìý

I’m wearing all the hats. The writer, the developmental editor, the copy editor, eventually the publisher, and even the marketer.Ìý

What this means for me most of the time is a flood of ugly crying and then sucking it up so I can keep on moving.Ìý

Sometimes, writers want to be authors, not writers. They want to see their book in print and they want to see it there now. Instant gratification. This can lead to a LOT of mistakes. I would know because I’ve been there, done that, own every T-shirt. And I’m not about to do it again.Ìý

Books aren’t supposed to be just written. They need to be rewritten. And then maybe rewritten again. And revised. If a writer isn’t doing that then she’s doing it WRONG. I cannot say it enough.Ìý

(I can’t give you Evermore because Evermore does not exist in its super-polished readable form yet.)

I wanted to be a professional writer so badly that I’ve been going to writing school, y’all. Learning how to write, structure, plot, and even do developmental edits.Ìý

I could find an editor, but this is a skill set I want to have myself. I think that a writer needs to be able to trust his or her own vision and know what needs to be cut, fixed, changed, rearranged, and WHY.Ìý

I feel as bummed and let down as you do, if not more, and my health has taken a dive because of that. You don’t deserve to have to wait this long but you don’t deserve crappy books either. I shouldn’t have been a shitty author to begin with. I should’ve been a better writer. But I was too young and naive when I began to know any better. And now that I do, I have to do better.Ìý

All I can do now is hope that you will not give up on me and then do everything I can to make it up to you in the coming years, starting, hopefully, next year.Ìý

I don’t want to be not even 1/100th of the reason why there’s still a stigma against Indie authors and their books because OOPS, I didn’t rewrite mine. It didn’t receive any developmental edits or professional copy edits, and now there’s a typo on page 10 and three more on pages 25-28.Ìý

Listen, when I go to reed a book, especially won I’m paying money four, I want a fluid reading experience, not one riddled with annoying mistakes that jump out like fleas and make you want too throw the book across the room or pull you’re hair out. That’s . . . not fun, people.Ìý

LOL, see what I just did there? How frustrating is that?!Ìý

·¡³Ý´¡°ä°Õ³¢³Û.Ìý

There is a LOT going on and there is a LOT in the works currently, but I don’t want to talk about anything specifically right now. I want to take this opportunity to ask you two things:Ìý

1. Inbox me (e-mail, comment, Twitter, Instagram, etc) any questions or concerns you have about the NEW Pretty in Black books because I want to compile a big Q&A or FAQ right here on this blog. Anything you want to know (what changes are being made, what the storyline will be like, etc) I will do my best to answer for you.
2. Please do not give up on me or lose hope.Ìý

Sincerely, your writer, and author,Ìý
Rae Ìý

Okay, Pretty in Black fans!Ìý

I don't have official release dates yet, but I do have the covers! And Blurbs, and Teasers which you can find under the Teasers tab above!Ìý

Pretty in Black (Pretty in Black #1) and Evermore (Pretty in Black #4) are already up for Paperback Pre-order on Amazon, with Black Satin and Raven in the Grave to follow shortly.Ìý

I don't yet know when the e-books will be releasing because I'm still working on them, but I'm hoping to have that information soon-ish.Ìý

Pretty in Black and Black Satin will probably re-release together, followed by Raven in the Grave, and then Evermore. Fingers crossed, there will be an Evermore e-book Pre-order this summer.Ìý

The original e-books will automatically update. And then as I complete the others, I will immediately release those right after. Which means, if you bought the Omnibus edition, it WILL update too, but it will just take a little while longer, unfortunately, as I'll have to have all 3 books completed before I can release that particular edition. In the meantime though, if you downloaded the FREE original copy of Pretty in Black, you can go ahead and start reading the newer version! I promise, I will not make this take any longer than absolutely necessary.Ìý

ALSO, you may have noticed that all my e-books spontaneously disappeared from everywhere except Google Play. Please do not be alarmed. I haven't gone anywhere, I'm just in my writing cave, making all my books super-super shiny! They will ALL be returning. You will not have to buy them again as they should automatically update once I upload them. And of course I will be here on release day and after to help troubleshoot or walk you through getting the new versions if there should be any trouble or difficulties. Thank you so much for your love, support, e-mails, reviews, messages and on-going enthusiasm! I could not have done this without you! Without further ado, here are the covers and the blurbs!Ìý

AVAILABLE NOW FOR PAPERBACK PRE-ORDER AT THESE RETAILERS

*Links to additional online retailers will be added as they become available*Ìý

AMAZON US | UK | IN* | ES | IT

*PENDING: Amazon.In | Amazon.es | Amazon.it

Not Yet Listed: Amazon.de | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com.mx

THE LINK BELOW WILL TAKE YOU TO YOUR COUNTRY'S AMAZON PAGE

FOLLOW LINK TO PRE-ORDER:Ìý

OFFICIAL BLURB

On the day of her death, a seventeen year old cheerleader meets a vampire in the cemetery who saves her life.

I could hear him calling for me—I felt him in my blood. The possibility that Marcus could be a vampire had never occurred to me. Why would it? Not when everything about him seemed so utterly and breathtakingly human.

Seventeen year old Eleanor Piper was supposed to die that day. She was sure of it. Only . . . she didn't. Somehow, she awakens in the cemetery at midnight where she awkwardly meets an unusual stranger . . . whom she ends up foolishly kissing a few bantering minutes later.

What begins as a fun and quirky romance eventually grows into burning devotion as he peels apart her layers, learning the heartbreaking truth behind why she sleeps in cemeteries at night instead of going home, and he reveals to her that he is an Evermore-Strix hybrid who could go dark at any second.

As they slowly begin to trust each other, and he finally trusts himself with her, he whisks her away to the World of Nevermore—a world of Gothic castles, immortal knights, and a long history of angel-demon wars with the Nightly Shore Court on which a menagerie of bloodthirsty Strix monsters reign, determined to do anything in their power to take over Nevermore.

But just when Eleanor and Marcus feel like their dead hearts are beginning to heal, their haunting pasts—the nightmares which ultimately led them to each other—return and threaten to rip them apart.

Set in the southern Gothic town of Pine Hills, South Carolina, with the beautifully haunting backdrop of drooping Spanish moss and crumbling overgrown cemeteries, the world of reality and fantasy are about to collide, and Eleanor just might realize that the boundaries between life and death are closer than she ever imagined.

From this darkly romantic world of raven and crow shapeshifters inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and Greek-Roman mythology, emerges a different take on the classic vampire.

RATED MATURE: A cross between YA and New Adult recommended for 17+ years old and up due to depictions of self-harm, mild violence, and lots of sexy kissing.

Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýBlack Satin (Pretty in Black #2)WORKING BLURB (*Subject to Change*)

She wasn't supposed to remember him, but she does. And now her world is shattering all over again.

In the sequel to Pretty in Black, Eleanor races against time to save the vampire she loves while fighting her attraction for the gargoyle who is helping her master newly discovered Parevermore powers.

It all begins when a demon from the Nightly Shore Court threatens to rip apart her cheerleading friends; something in her awakens, allowing her to save them from the monster.

Only now, they can't remember ever being attacked. Questioning her world again, she begins a search for answers which leads her to the discovery that on her eighteenth birthday, she ascended.

Lenore might've been right after all, and Ellie just might have Evermore blood flowing through her veins.

After obtaining a book that teaches her everything she needs to know about being a Parevermore, she begins practicing her powers. But when an Evermore hunter witnesses her superhuman strength, her secret is exposed and her life takes a dangerous turn.

When both she and Walter, the new guy at school, are stabbed in the heart by a group of Evermore hunters, and survive, injury free, she realizes that he too, isn't human, and a high-flying adventure awaits, zooming her into the Land of Naught with a world of gargoyles.

From killing demons on a derailing clockwork train to escaping a crashing airship only to find herself plummeting into deadly turbulent waters where underwater sea creatures lurk, this death-defying journey will challenge her and possibly determine whether or not she belongs in this supernormal world.

But, no matter the consequences, she is determined to do whatever it takes to prove herself to her gargoyle guardian and get back to Nevermore before the clock strikes midnight, taking Marcus away from her forever.Ìý

Raven in the Grave (Pretty in Black #3)One Line Summary (Blurb Forthcoming)

In this third installment of the Pretty in Black series, Eleanor and her immortal friends fight a battle against the Strix demons on the Nightly Shore Court, unaware that an even bigger war is looming.

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Evermore (Pretty in Black #4)

I was made to rule the darkness.

Eleanor Piper marries her vampire sweetheart knowing that she may not get a happily ever-after, but she is determined to challenge, and possibly fight against, the odds.

In Raven in the Grave, Marcus and Eleanor were crowned Dark Prince and Princess of Nevermore, a dream come true for the two fated lovers. It was supposed to be the beginning of their dark fairytale.

Now that Ellie has made her decision to marry Marcus and become a full Evermore, a shocking revelation threatens to destroy everything they've fought for. Her mortality stands in their way. What if she cannot become immortal? What if an event, far worse than any of them ever anticipated, shatters their world irreversibly?

One last decision will have to be made: Marcus Marble must become a monster in order to destroy one.

Whatever happens, one thing is certain—the consequences will be everlasting.

This is Forever.

YES, THERE IS AN OMNIBUS COVER EDITION AND I WILL BE POSTING IT NEXT MONTH AS SOON AS COVER DESIGNER IS FINISHED WITH IT. THE OMNIBUS EDITION WILL BE PUBLISHED IN E-BOOK FORM ONLY.Ìý

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FAQWhen are the books releasing?

Honestly, I do not know. I've marked the paperback Pre-Orders for October and November. The books might release before then, right on time, or sometime after. I am a solo team, meaning I handle every aspect of writing, editing, publishing, marketing, networking by myself. Because of this, I seldom have any free time, or ME time. Every open moment goes into producing these books, which means I am usually working 20/24 hrs a day. Yes, I work 20 hour days, sleep for four, and work some more. I squeeze in eating in there somewhere, and showering, but that's about it. If I'm not writing, I'm editing or researching or updating something.Ìý

When you Pre-Order the book, you will not be charged until the book is ready to be released. Amazon (or another retailer) will only charge your card/account once the book is ready to be shipped.ÌýÌý

When will the e-book pre-orders be live?

EVERMORE'S Pre-Order will be available three or four months prior to its release date. Although I am hoping for an October 5, 2017 release, I won't be able to set an official release date until I have the line edits for that book on my desk and I know FOR SURE it is releasing when I say it is.Ìý

Why isn't Black Satin or Raven in the Grave available for paperback pre-order?

Because I don't want to try too many things at once and get your hopes up in case something happens and I have to push back the release again. Once Pretty in Black is ready to be published, I will then set up the Pre-Orders for Black Satin and Raven in the Grave.Ìý

Why did you delete ALL of your books from every online retailer (except Google Play)?

Because they suck and I don't want people reading or buying them right now. ALL of my books will be getting major revisions or they will be rewritten.Ìý

I want professional, well-written, well-edited books. And that's what I'm working on and it takes a LOT of time. A good book cannot be written and published with lightning fast speeds. I know others might do it that way, and that's their thing, but I simply refuse to do so. I know EXACTLY what happens when a book is rushed. Nothing good.Ìý

I left the books on Google Play so people wouldn't think I completely disappeared. I haven't gone anywhere, I'm just incredibly busy.Ìý

Since you deleted the books, will I have to pay for them again?Ìý

I didn't DELETE-DELETE the books, I retired them. This means, that when the NEW books are ready to be published, I will upload the NEW book in place of the old.

If you PAID for the book, you will NOT have to pay for it again. I can 100% guarantee you that Black Satin, Raven in the Grave, The Pretty in Black Omnibus Edition,Ìýand, in the future, The Summer of You and Me*, and Eternally,Ìýwill be available for an automatic override from wherever you originally bought the book. However, I cannot ensure the same for Pretty in Black since it's been a FREE book since 2014. That will vary from retailer to retailer, possibly. If it does or doesn't, I will let you know closer to release date. ÌýÌý

If there's a question that hasn't been answered here, can I e-mail you?

PLEASE DO because I cannot think of everything. If there's a question you would like me to answer, send me an e-mail.Ìý

top 5 things i am most excited about

Sune Rose Wagner, the male half of the incredible band The Raveonettes, emailed me on Christmas Eve! When I saw his name on the e-mail I squealed and jumped up and down, and then I thought I was dreaming and then I thought it was a cruel joke someone was playing on me because as you know, I am obsessed with this band, madly in love with them.Ìý

Sune is extremely talented . . . basically a musical God in my opinion. His music is pure magick. Not only that, but he's super nice too. When I calmed down, I managed to e-mail him back and tell him about the Pretty in Black book series and how it was inspired by and named after his music and how I also named a character in the book after him, and I really tried not to fangirl too much. I got his reply on Christmas Day! I have his e-mail address and no you cannot have it! LOL.Ìý

My love for them began in 2008 when I first head the song "Sad Transmission." Seriously, if you don't know who this band is, CLICK THE LINK BELOW.Ìý

“This is proof that there is magick in the world”

I am still working on the Black Satin rewrites and in this book, it’s Christmas time. Near the end of it, Ellie and Marcus go ice skating! Did you know that before she became a cheerleader she liked to ice skate? I didn’t know that either until this year!

Here’s a little snippet:

Gliding backwards, I entered the figure skating stunt on the back outside edge, shooting airborne into a triple twist down, and then landing back into a perfect glide on the opposite foot. I coasted over to him, taking his hand into mine. “Don’t just stand there watching me,� I said. “Come on, you’ve gotta skate.�

�But I can’t,� he said through an abashed laugh.

�Yes you can. I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall or anything. Promise.� Taking his hands into mine, I skated slowly backwards and gently guided him forward.

I SHIP THEM SO HARD!

And when I was on Pinterest earlier today, I found a lot of OTP questions! I decided to grab a few of my favorites and answer them on the blog for you! Here they are!

Marcus and Ellie!A.K.A #Mellie

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Which one bakes cookies and which one tries to steal the cookie dough?Ellie is the one who bakes the cookies and has to keep smacking Marcus’s hand to make him stay out of the cookie dough!Who takes longer to get ready?Definitely Marcus! He has soooooo many accessories! Ellie would be ready before he would because he’d spend an hour trying to decide what to wear!Who has the biggest wardrobe?Marcus does! I think he has more clothes than Eleanor.When ice skating, which one falls and which one tries to help the other one stay balanced?Marcus would be the one falling and Ellie would be the one helping him stay upright while also showing off her mad ice skating skills!Who sets up the Christmas lights and who gets the ladder?Marcus puts up the Christmas lights while she watches, but then he’s the one who lifts Ellie so she can put the star on the top of the tree!Who gets angry and tells little kids that Santa doesn’t exist?That would be Marcus!Who’s the cuddler?Marcus is :)Who makes the bed?LOL, Marcus does.Who wakes up first?Marcus does.Who kisses more roughly?Of course it’s going to be Marcus.Who stays up late reading and who falls asleep with their head on their shoulder/lap?Eleanor would be the late night reader, and Marcus would be the one falling asleep beside her.Who has the more complicated Starbucks order?Totally Marcus! It would sound like this: Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato.Who wants kids and how many?Marcus does! He wants like, ten probably. LOLWho hogs the blankets?Marcus is the blanket hog and pillow thief.Who makes coffee for the other one every morning?Marcus makes the coffee for Ellie.Which one is ticklish?Ellie is the ticklish one!Which one sings and which plays the music?Marcus is both the violin player and the singer!Which one proposes?Marcus pops the question.Who wraps the Christmas presents horribly and has to get help from the other one?Marcus cannot wrap presents LOL and Ellie would have to assist him in making the gift look presentable.Who excitedly wakes up the other one on Christmas morning?That would be Marcus, pouncing down on the bed to wake Ellie because she sleeps in late.Who holds the mistletoe over the both of their heads?Marcus would totally do this! I can see him placing mistletoe all over the house!Which one spends the most money Christmas shopping?Um, THAT would be a tie! They both love to shop!

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Hey, Pretty in Black fans! Hope you're all having a fantastic December.

I received an e-mail from Samantha G., a reader of the series, and she asked me some very important questions and expressed some concerns.

I'm really glad she brought this up because I've been meaning to post a lot about the series and what's going on with it, but I've simply been sooooo busy actually writing it so I can get it back into your hands that I haven't stopped to write these posts yet.

I am going to answer her questions on this blog.

Here is the letter she sent me: (reposted with permission)

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Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Dear Rae,

I am a new reader of your series. I found your free book on google one day while at my boyfriend’s hockey practice.

I instantly fell in love with the first book. I quickly finished the first and bought the second and third. They were amazing. I went to purchase the 4th and found it hasn’t released yet. I had to do some research to figure out when I could get my hands on the next one.

I came across your blog and learned I won’t be able to get the next one until October of next year?! I don’t know if I can make it that long. I’m dying to read of the wedding, and Marcus and Ellie’s first night together in Evermore, and if they’re going to stay in Nevermore or move to Paris....

I did see in your blog that you are rewriting the books? Some of the points you make I can understand why you would consider the rewrite, but my concern is about not making Ellie a hunter. I mean obviously you know better than I, considering I’ve never written a book before. But I do wonder why you are changing that particular part. I feel like that part of Ellie makes their love that much more magical. If you take that part out, the whole storyline will be thrown off. Vincent won’t be needed, therefore he wont be a demon. The whole part about Ellie’s grandmother can be removed. I’m not writing this email to be construed as hate mail or rude, so if it is coming off that way I sincerely apologize. I was just hoping to get some more insight as to the reasons behind changing the story.

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Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

Samantha G

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FIRSTLY:

I am not going to lie: these words, THESE WORDS right HERE: I instantly fell in love with the first book. I quickly finished the first and bought the second and third. They were amazing.

They are . . . puzzling to me, shocking to me, and I am incredibly humbled by them and nearly in tears.

Because, up until THIS VERY MOMENT IN TIME, words like love and amazing weren't words I would be using to describe my own book. Why? Because I thought it sucked, I didn't believe in it. I felt like the books I'd written didn't deserve these words to ever be associated with it.

The last thing I want to be is a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer, but, from late 2011 when I first published book one in the Pretty in Black series until April of 2015, nothing was really happening with this book. No one was really reading it. And I certainly wasn't hearing good things when people did stumble across it and read it. I mean, I wasn't hearing all bad things, I did get a few good reviews here and there, but during that time it was also ridiculed a lot too. And I was receiving hate mail about it also, saying how bad it is and this, this, and that. How I shouldn't've written it. I really felt like publishing this book was the WORST thing I could've ever done.

And then, the ugliness changed when I published it to Google Play. It all changed in a major way.

I'm still incredibly shocked by it all because there are 13k+ plus reviews, the majority of them all saying how GOOD the book is. In the USA, the book series has reached over 150,000 people, with a world wide reach of an estimated 200,000-ish over all.

But my belief that the book was bad didn't change. I felt ashamed and embarrassed about it. I really thought that when I published it to Google Play that readers were only going to echo what I'd already been hearing—Your book is terrible, you're not a good writer. I had soooooo much anxiety built against this that I refused to even so much as look at what was happening over on Google Play.

This was all going on in between March 2015 and April 2015. (I think I published the book to Google Play in October 2014)

In the Spring of 2015, I decided that, okay, so this book is terrible, but now I'm going to make it GOOD somehow. Maybe they're right and I can't write and there isn't any finesse to my writing style, but by golly there will be!

All I really remember is getting up in the middle of the night sometime near April 2015 and making a list of everything that was wrong with the book and why it needed to be fixed. I also remember crying a lot. A lot.

But I never wanted to GIVE. UP. I was determined because deep down, I believed in the story. I've always, always, ALWAYS believed in it.

So I began researching writing techniques, buying books on craft, and really digging in there and figuring out how to write, how to make this book better. There was a lot I wanted to know, like, how do you pace a book well? How do you bring description and setting to life so that the reader really feels like he or she is right there inside the novel? I just went to town on every aspect I could think of.

And I began rewriting the book.

Lets break this down further:

Twilight. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Let it be known that when you have a vampire book, it's going to be compared to Twilight as though Meyer invented vampires.

And if you have a book that mentions vampire hunters? You're obviously copying BTVS. (Let it be publicly known that I am not a BTVS fan: I don't dislike or hate the series—Truthfully, I've never seen it. I only saw the movie and that was years ago.)

I did not want my book endlessly compared. I wanted Pretty in Black to be PRETTY IN BLACK soooooo very badly that I would've done nearly anything in my power to make that happen.

I have my OWN imagination and it's gotten MUCH more stronger than it's ever been before, and now I want to use it.

Now, I do want to say that I am very aware that a book will never please 100% of the people, and that has never been my goal because it would be impossible to reach. The problem with this was the fact that I believed they were RIGHT—my book wasn't very good. I believed it so much that I was losing sleep at night and it was taking a toll on my health.

However, I did not begin rewriting the book because someone told me it was bad. I did not begin rewriting the book to please a handful of people who didn't like it.

I began rewriting it because, suddenly, I had so much clarity about what it could be and where it could go.

And I'll never really know where this new inspiration came from, but it came to me and it was there and I seized the opportunity of a beautiful moment.

I mean, I'd written the books at a relatively young age, I really didn't have a lot of writing experience. I wrote it for fun and wasn't expecting to become like, an author. I'd always dreamed of being one, but I wasn't thinking, oh yeah, here I go, I'm doing this. I just sort of fell into it, in a bittersweet way.

I am GRATEFUL for those “negative� reviews because those are the ones that SENT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. It lit a blazing fire in me that I will never be able to explain or even understand.

NOW, here's the good stuff—the reason you're even reading this blog post.

You have some valid concerns and I am going to do my best to answer those. I will say, that before I began the rewrite, my first and foremost question had always been: how will I keep this book the same, but different?

I did NOT want to change anything about Pretty in Black that you had read and loved.

Never once did I forget about YOU. NEVER. I knew that I did have fans out there—some which I already knew about—ones who'd messaged me or left reviews for the book—and future fans who I knew in my heart would be soon discovering the series.

YOU have always been my primary focus and everything that you're asking me I've already asked myself.

And I will be answering all of your questions right here on my blog, beginning with Samantha G's letter:

Q1: not making Ellie a hunter. why are you changing that particular part?

I feel like that part of Ellie makes their love that much more magical. If you take that part out, the whole storyline will be thrown off. Vincent won’t be needed, therefore he wont be a demon. The whole part about Ellie’s grandmother can be removed.

I am changing it because it no longer serves the story.

I have had bloggers, and even readers, tell me that the hunter aspect was not needed to tell the story. Yes, I am the author, so in the end, I get to choose how to tell the story because IT. IS. MY. BOOK, buuuuut, sometimes, the critiques are RIGHT.

Editors take books every day and suggest changes to improve the narrative before the book goes to print. Since I do not have an editor, I consider my betas, and my readers, my go to source on knowing what works for the story and what doesn't. We authors are so close to our book babies that we cannot always see the over all picture clearly, and we need an unbiased opinion to help us pinpoint ways we can make it read better, work better.

But the biggest question is WHY am I making this change?

Answer: Not only are there too many vampire books, but there are simply too many vampire books that feature hunters.

Pretty in Black needed to stand apart from the rest in some major way, so I am giving Eleanor an amazing, and highly different, character arc, and I really, really, really believe you're going to LOVE IT!

(We will come back to Ellie's character arc in a minute!)

Q2.ÌýI feel like that part of Ellie makes their love that much more magical.

I can see what you mean. With Ellie being a hunter and not killing Marcus, I guess that does make their love seem magical.Ìý

However, I have given them a stronger relationship arc and they will not need this aspect for their love to seem magical. In the new version of Pretty in Black,ÌýI alternate chapters between Marcus and Eleanor and I really dig deep into what makes each of them tick, what their fears are, what their hopes are, and how they come together and fall in love with each other. I've extended their date scenes and given you, the reader, lots more to (hopefully) fall in love with. They have struggles together, he worries about her because she's sleeping in the cemetery at night instead of going home, and once he discovers why? Oh boy, let me tell you, he is PISSED at Nick.Ìý

Marcus is depicted as having a dual nature—he's so sweet and loving, but he can also be dangerous. He's never, ever violent with Eleanor though, but he does, however, let the darker side of him show whenever anyone tries to mess with her.

I'm really in love with this newer version and it is the book of my heart. I threw myself into 110% and really brought out the uniqueness of the characters and their world.Ìý

The thing that is going to make this book magical, in my opinion, is how deeply these two love each other. You can actually feel it on the page. It's . . . intense.Ìý

I really want to blog more about what changes I've made because there are some interesting ones, especially with Marcus's character. He's one way with Eleanor and a different way with everyone else and we get to see that.Ìý

We get to understand him in a new way and the reasons behind why he leaves in Black Satin.ÌýThe ending of the second book has been extended and the moment she gets him back is truly heartbreaking because it's during that moment we see that he COULD be a monster, a demon, but it's her undying love for him that keeps him from going dark and it shatters the beast in him.Ìý

I could blog and blog and blog about this book series because I love it so, so, so much, but I have to actually write it and get it into your hands so you can see everything for yourself, and then we can all talk about it then.Ìý

I'm aiming to have the new covers and blurbs up by the first of the year.Ìý

Q3: The storyline will be thrown off, Vincent won't be needed, he won't be a demon, and the part with Ellie's grandmother will be removed.

Trust me, this was the FIRST concern that I had too when I contemplated rewriting the series. I didn't want to change the HEART of the story, which, as you know, includes ALL OF THESE THINGS.

So, I hope you will be overjoyed to know that, while Eleanor will not be a hunter, that plot thread has not been removed from the book.

This took some creative engineering, but I kept ALL of these things!

The story line will NOT be thrown off, rest assured.

Here is what I've done with that particular element and Eleanor's new character arc:

I have passed the job of being a hunter on to . . .

wait for it . . .

wait for it . . .

Eleanor's ex-boyfriend, Declan. And let me tell you, this makes things MUCH MORE INTERESTING, in my opinion. His role becomes a much larger part of the series than before. I feel like every character in a book should carry his or her weight, and since I invented him and he's in the book, something should happen with him, especially since he is featured in other scenes throughout the series.

Remember how he appears in the train track scene in book one and Marcus saves Ellie from being hit by the train? And remember the way he is acting in Black Satin toward Ellie because he knows something weird is going on about her sister and all of that? Well, his being a hunter fuels all of this and gives him motive for being in these scenes.

Without completely spoiling the books, I will say that he causes major trouble, especially in Black Satin.

Vincent is still in the book series. The part in Black Satin where Ellie meets him and he tells her she is adopted and is a hunter still happens.

The difference is this: In Pretty in Black, the possibility that Ellie could be half-Evermore is hinted at vaguely, but the hunter thing isn't brought up until book 2.

On her eighteenth birthday, she ascends, meaning that she will either become a hunter, or be a Parevermore. What's a Parevermore, you ask? (Pronounced: PAR VER MORE)

Eleanor, as you know, is a half-Evermore. But, I have given her a more specific term for what she is.

As taken from the Evermore Lexicon

Definitions:

Parevermore: a half-Evermore; a child born of one human parent and one Evermore parent. Has Parablood. The "demigod" of Nevermore.Ìý

Neverborn: one born in Nevermore with the ability to control the shadows; the sixth (and hidden) Ravenmore sector.

Because her father was a hunter and her mother was an Evermore, Ellie will either ascend as a hunter or her Parevermore and Neverborn abilities will rule.Ìý

Well, she ascends as a Parevemore instead. (Vincent has no idea about this because he doesn't know her mother was an Evermore, thus, he thinks she is a hunter.) And as the book continues, she learns what being Neverborn means for her.Ìý

However, on the day of her ascension, something MAJOR happens in a big way that will steer the rest of the plot in Black Satin.

I really really don't want to spoil this for you before you read it, but lets just say that it's badass. Lets just say that, when Paul/Corvus tries to kill her cheerleader friends that she is now able to stop him herself!!!

(The cheerleaders don't die in this version)

Speaking of cheerleaders! It was only hinted at in the original story that Eleanor was a cheerleader, but in the new book, she will be a cheerleader and we will get to see and experience all of that with her.

Here is how I kept her grandmother's role!

In the new version of Pretty in Black, Ellie goes to the library to get some books for a school project or whatever. There she meets the sweet elderly librarian lady who is a little cuckoo! LOL. She has lots and lots of crows and ravens everywhere and tons of books on the paranormal.

So, in Black Satin, when Vincent tells her she was adopted and tells her about her grandmother, she searches for her grandmother's address. She doesn't have time to go visit her right away because of cheerleading practice and all of that, so she decides to do it later.

The opportunity presents itself when Ellie is at school. Paul/Corvus attempts to kill her cheerleader friends and she stops him.

But, after her ascension, she is not quite sure what's going on and she immediately thinks of the librarian with all those crazy paranormal books, so she drives there to ask for help with what's going on.

The library is closed that evening, so Ellie decides she will go ahead and visit her grandmother now since she is already missing school anyway.

And that's when the discovery happens, the ah-ha moment! The librarian IS her grandmother, and now her grandmother will explain why/how she is a Parevermore and give her some books and tools on how to use those new powers.

Ellie was born in Nevermore, and is a Neverborn Parevermore, making her case a little special as most Neverborns are Evermores and not half-mortals.

Her new goal now is to complete her mother's quest and destroy the Nightly Shore Court, something which she will complete in Raven in the Grave.

(What's the Nightly Shore Court, you ask? Oh, how I wish I could share all of these things with you right now!)

As of this moment, the storyline is still on track. A few small changes, but better ones, in my opinion.

The new problem arrives when Declan saw her ascension and witnessed her save her friends. He'd been tracking Paul/Corvus himself when Ellie intercepted without knowing he was watching. Since this takes place after Ellie had visited Vincent, Declan thinks she will show her true hunter nature and slay the demon that way, but she doesn't. The way she kills Corvus makes him believe she too is a demon that must be killed.

And so now Declan wants to kill Ellie.

I cannot go into more details about this without spoiling the plot, but I will say that yes, Walter is still a major part of this book series, no,Ìýit's not a love triangle (but some of you may wish it was!) and he will be taking Ellie on an adventure of a life time!

Both Nevermore and the Land of Naught have new world building that I think is absolutely fantastic!

Man, I want to tell you about ALL THE THINGS. Especially about the gargoyles and the gargbeast and the underwater creatures!

There are lots and lots of new twists and exciting turns that this series is taking and I am delighted to share them with you! I cannot wait until the new books are in your hands!

There is so much more I want to share with you!

I am not taking anything away from the series, I am simply reconstructing it and expanding it, adding MORE to the World of Nevermore. More things which I think you will LOVE.

What more can you expect from the series?

Without spoiling the plot, I will tell you this!

There is a new “vampire� mythology for this book, one that I invented. It is inspired by Greek Mythology and Edgar Allan Poe.

to read about that!

And, because I wanted to portray a Realistic YA relationship, and positive relationship between love and sex, the intimacy level between Ellie and Marcus has been slightly raised in each book.

Pretty in Black doesn't go past kissing, buuuuut, THERE ARE A LOT OF KISSING SCENES!

Black Satin sees them edging toward second base at the end of the book, and Raven in the Grave gets an extended Mad Rush—Tomb Scene! Which is very sexy if you know what I mean.

I know lots of you are looking forward to their wedding and honeymoon and let me just say, I am saving ALL the gooooood stuff for that night! And there will be no fading to black!

If you are reading this and have more questions that have not been answered here, PLEASE e-mail me and I will answer them.

In case you missed it, Ellie isn't a hunter anymore. Nope. She has a sparkly new character arc that I can't wait to talk about more, and I will, once I start posting the Nevermore world building.

I definitely needed a new story arc and a brand new and absolutely original world building, so I put myself to work to accomplish this by asking myself: What do I love? What can I bring to the literary table that's different/new?

I wanted a new vampire lore, something unseen before. Something unique.

I love Edgar Allan Poe. I love Greek Mythology.

Okay, okay, okay y'all, sooooo.

The more and more I wrote on this book series, the more and more I began to realize that I had this weird, strange, totally odd vampire-bird theme going on, thanks to my obsession with Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven from which the Evermores and the world of Nevermore was born.

Yes, vampires that were ravens and crows. Crazy! Right?

I thought so too!

But during the story, Marcus made a reveal that he was not a vampire and instead he had the misfortune of being a vampire-Evermore hybrid, which led me to the epiphany that the Evermores were not vampires.

Okay. SO what are they and how did they become Evermores? What's the story behind that?

Marcus and I decided that at some point, the Evermores used to be vampires, but, hating their existences, their leader rebirthed them into something else entirely.

(There's an entire story about how he created them into something new and different; I'll allow Marcus to explain all of that to you in the book when he's telling Eleanor about it for the first time.)

So, they became the Evermores—raven/crow shapeshifters who could heal people and keep them from dying. (But there's also limitations on that and stuff, all explained in the book.)

The Evermores shoved the real vampires (you know, the bad guys) into the shadow world where they became shadow people who've since been searching for ways to escape so they can drink blood. They, therefore, become the villains of the story. The antagonists. And cause Marcus a world of trouble because, you know, he has the misfortune of also being partly vampire and they're jealous that he's parading around Nevermore pretending to be good when he's really, really bad. They want to uprise and take down Nevermore.

Boom, Plot.

Okay, so, yeah. That was pretty cool, I thought. And it was working just fine up until today. Yes, on May 20, 2016 a brand new scene emerged wherein Eleanor came face-to-face with these shadow creatures who were once vampires. And guess what, folks? They do not look like all the other vampires that everyone else writes about. They are BIRD vampires. CROW people. Raven taloned and feather-fingered hands!

Like whaaaaaaat?!

I knew right away that what I was working with here was some sort of brand new vampire that'd never been seen before and I somehow needed an awesome legend/lore to back up my theories. I needed/wanted, more than anything, a new and original vampire mythology.

I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY ERMEGAWD, THE UNIVERSE LOVES ME.

Now introducing to you: The Strix/Striges.

Hey Readers! BIG NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT:

In case you might've missed it, an all new version of Pretty in Black will be releasing next year, followed by brand new versions of Black Satin, Raven in the Grave, and the highly anticipated finale, Evermore.

The first three books will be extended and will include more world building and never before seen content.

FAQ:

Will I have to re-buy the e-books again?

Nope! If you've previously downloaded/bought the Pretty in Black e-books, don’t worry! The new book will automatically update and override the old one! Updates will be automatic for some e-book retailers, and for others (like Amazon) the update will be available via the Manage Your Content and Devices on your Amazon account dashboard. I will provide a step-by-step walk through right here on my blog several days before the release dates.

When are the release dates?

I have not assigned release dates to any of the books because I don't know how long it will take me to complete them, and this includes editing, formatting, etc. As soon as the books are in their final form and ready to go, I will announce the release date then. The first three will release right away, with Evermore following soon there after.

When is Evermore releasing?

Fingers crossed, I'm shooting for an October 5, 2017 release date.

Why did you rewrite the books?!

Short answer: Because I was immensely discontented with them. Having written them at a relatively young age, with zero writing experience, the story lacked a lot that I just couldn't provide at the time of writing it.

I feel like the series has a lot of potential and it just wasn't living up to it because of the lack of writing experience. I don't regret writing these books; I love this story.

Longer Answer: I completed Evermore in late 2014-early 2015 and it ended up being a much better story than the first three books. I discovered a lot about the characters I hadn't known before and new story lines were introduced that I hadn't previously considered. I knew right away, after reading through the manuscript, that the books simply weren't going to match. There were twists and turns and amazing things going on in that book that I wished could've been set up prior to the delivery of the finale. So in April 2015, instead of going forth with the release of Evermore and making everything super messy, I made a firm decision to backtrack and revisit the original stories. I'd grown so much as a writer since 2011 and I wanted to challenge myself, push myself further. I began studying my craft day and night and immediately reconstructing Pretty in Black.

What changes will be in the books?! Are you changing the story?! The plot?! What's going on??

Let me assure you right away that the changes to the series are minimal and that the overall story will not be affected in any way. There will just be more of it.

Eleanor will no longer be an Evermore hunter; I've passed that job over to a secondary character, and Ellie has a brand new character arc that I think you're going to love!

Also, she is on the cheerleading team in the new version, something that was only hinted at and glossed over in the original.

The plot is still the same, only enhanced.

I won't be including any spoilers, but everything you've read thus far will (mostly) remain the same, but with better writing and better delivery of the story.

If you have any specific questions that I have not answered here, please e-mail me at [email protected] I'd love to hear from you!Ìý

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Firstly, I just wanna say that yes, I am aware that my blog is lacking serious author related information and my book links are not working.

I don't even think I wanted to or even tried to sell any books this year because I've been spending the whole year trying to make my original books suck less.

For those of you who've read them and like them, I owe you an apology, along with a better written book.

Even though I am hard as hell on myself and I'm my own worst critic—I don't think anyone could even write a review saying something worse than what I've told myself about my own work, but please don't accept that as a challenge—I feel incredibly blessed to have readers and fans who believe in me even when I can't believe in myself.

And if you're one of them THANK YOU so much because your tweet/e-mail/Facebook/Instagram message is probably a bigger part of why I'm still here writing these books than I am.

On days that I didn't even feel like doing this anymore, I would get an e-mail from a very lovely reader telling me that they love Marcus's and Ellie's story and can't wait for Evermore. I printed all those messages and e-mails and have them in a special binder and on days I feel like pulling the covers over my head and saying “to hell with it� I pull it out and read them again and then keep going.

I've been feeling like an impostor, wondering what would make me a REAL writer/author and seeking validation only to learn over the course of a year that I'm the only one who can give myself that validation. I don't need anyone's permission to write but my own and I just have to give myself that.

With all of this being said, the book links and author information will appear next year along with an official author bio as soon as I figure out who I am as a writer/author.

What I've learned from rewriting/taking my time writing

Here are the Pros/Cons on why taking 2 or 3 years to write a book is both a good and bad idea based on my personal experience.

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Pros

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You will get to know your characters more. Possibly a LOT more.

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One of the biggest complaints I received on Pretty in Black was that the reader didn't get to “know� the characters. Back in 2011/2012 when I was getting this feedback, I had no clue what that meant. But man oh man, did I figure that out the hard way.

Essentially, I'd never given it much thought about who my characters were, I mean, I was just telling a story, putting words on the page. But this singular thing matters much more than one might think. You HAVE TO know your characters because your characters are what determines how the story goes and sometimes they are the story.

As soon as I began rewriting, I started discovering things about my characters which I never knew before, or at all, really. Their voices got stronger, their motivations clearer, and little things started snapping into place that made the story THAT MUCH BETTER than it would've been had I not questioned everything.

Instead of treating my story like a shake ‘n bake/book in a box where you just snatch a plot out of the shelf, toss in some character names and sprinkle in the serviceable words for a bland spice and serve it up to unsuspecting readers, I posed this question: what is MY story? What do MY characters think/do/feel? What colors, words, descriptions, etc are going to bring MY story to life and make it pop off the page?

And then I took my characters on a coffee date/interview and told them, okay, here's how it's going to go: SPIT IT OUT. Who are you? Once I started doing that, they started talking then.

This is uber important which is why I placed it up first. Readers, especially in the YA genre, read for FEELS. But before they can FEEL, they must KNOW who your characters are, who to cheer for and why. Once your reader knows your character, and if you've made your character relatable, the reader gets more pulled into the story.

What's your character's favorite color? What makes him tick? What does he do on a rainy day?

All of these little things takes the character that you've built with words on paper and gives him flesh and bone and makes him REAL. That's pure magick.

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2. You will be able to pinpoint your mistakes, strengths, and develop better skills.

After you've written your masterpiece, step away from it. Let it age. Read. Write something else. Study your craft. This is the only way you're ever going to get clarity and be able to notice the areas where you need to improve.

Because even when I go back and read what I've written weeks or even months ago, I can always find several things to change that'll improve the writing, and thus, the story.

Your writing is never as bad or as good as you think it is.

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3. Better rewriting/revising

This should've been a subset of point #2 because it ties in with the idea of improving your work. When the time arrives to rewrite your book, and you MUST rewrite it, don't think you can skip this step because I skipped it and had to pay the consequences, you will be able to see what plot points, themes, ideas, and etc need the most work and how to tell your story better. Every book needs at least 1 complete rewrite and revision. From there, you will learn what scenes don't need anymore work and which ones you need to keep working on. More often than not, every scene can improve by adding something or taking something away.

4. Better ideas will arrive

Just because you've reached THE END does not mean this is THE END.

I “completed� Pretty in Black (the new version) months ago and every night as I'm reading over it, I find myself tweaking lines of dialogue or highlighting parts that I need to move toward the front or delete and place in a different scene instead. I see places where there needs to be a line or two of description to establish sense of location.

I “completed� the first draft of Evermore in 2014? 2015? I can't exactly recall, somewhere in there, but it will undergo a major rewrite in 2017 and I already have pages upon pages of notes about things that need to be changed, fixed, fleshed out and corrected.

The more and more time I spend writing and rewriting this book series, the more and more I wanna beat myself up over releasing the original version into the world in the first place. The only reason I don't do that (not as much as I feel like it, anyways) is because I know that this has been a major learning experience and I would've never obtained any of these skills or would've known WHAT to do if I hadn't've messed it all up the first time.

You DO learn from mistakes, so never be afraid to make them. There's a quote out there somewhere about SUCCESS vs FAILURE that says something along the lines of “no success can be achieved without failure.� I just Googled that and it lead me to this page:

No matter how bad, or good, you think it is, a better idea will arrive, big or small, and alter your story in some way. Trust me on this; you'll love your story 1000% more for it. It could be something as simple as a line of dialogue that pinpoints exactly what you were trying to say weeks ago, or something as heart stopping as a beautifully rendered paragraph of description that really pulls you into the scene and gives you pause.

Whatever it is, just know that it's coming and be prepared for it.

5. You will have plenty of time to layer your story.

What is layering? It's when you go back and add stuff in to flesh out your story and give it life.

The first draft is all about sketching and getting main concepts and ideas down, the skeleton of the story. Next, it'll have to have veins and blood and flesh and a heartbeat and let me just stop this semi-grotesque comparison before this gets anymore creepy or gory.

Layering is super essential because it's what gives your story a pulse. It's alive! It's ALIVE.

If only I'd known that the FIRST time.

I pretty much left most of this stuff out of my original book and that's why it's so yawn-worthy, among other reasons.

Every book worth reading will have all of the following things in it: setting, tone, atmosphere, mood, colors, voice, vivid descriptions.

They all play off each other to deliver an impression of the book's world. If done correctly, a reader can easily slip between the pages and live there.

Nothing in your book should happen inside an empty colorless space unless that's an aesthetic you're going for, and then, by all means.

The atmosphere is created from the diction (word choice).

It's how you describe the things that gives a book its mood.

All of this becomes the pulse, the heartbeat, the soundtrack of your novel.

Words have denotations and connotations and knowing the difference between those two will help you find the right words to use when writing.

This is a really crappy example but I know you'll forgive me because it's 3 in the morning and my brain is dead:

Lets say you're wanting to describe the sudden quietening of a room. You could write something like

The room silenced.

That's fairly standard, and a little boring, but it gets the point across. If you want to give your writing a little flair of personal style, you might write it like this instead:

The room bled of sound.

Hmm. That's more specific. And it's a sentence I would expect to encounter when reading a HORROR novel or suspense. It lends itself to the atmosphere and tone of that type of book as the word ‘bled� has connotations of fear and fright associated with it.

However, If that sentence shows up in a lighthearted romance, then we're gonna have some problems. It would be jarring because it's completely out of context.

SO you would want to write it like this instead:

The room softened into whispers.

Cons

We change as we get older.

And so does our perspectives and experiences.

The changes I encountered over the course of 1 year were surprising. I went from not having a clue about how to write to actually having a clue. The books I wanted to read from previous years began falling off my TBR list for various different reasons, a lot having to do with INSTALURV, abusive relationships portrayed as ideal, and stereotypical high school social groups and depictions of teens. (I read YA obviously.)

A series that I fell in love with in 2012 I ended up DNFing the last installment because I realized there was no relationship build-up between the main two characters and there never had been since book one and so, why do I care about how this story ends? I didn't. I mean the characters didn't even speak to each other beyond glares and one word sentences, and the male MC barely had any lines. And all of a sudden the Female MC was all I LOVE HIM and risking her life to save him from his own personal demons aaaaand it took 3 books to accomplish that end goal.

He did nothing but cry, woe is me.

Just . . . no.

The story would've been fabulous with one major change: Scenes that established an actual relationship, MAKE ME BELIEVE IT, I don't care if it's FICTION, okay?, and the male MC doing something to fight FOR. HER.

I'm telling you guys, rewrite, Rewrite, REWRITE. That would've made a world of difference for me.

That's how much I changed.

Books tend to find us at the right time when we need them and how we see them and interpret the story somehow echoes our own viewpoints on life, which is why people say that no two people will ever read the same book, even if they did read the same book.

I woke up to a lot of things and certain books and ideas that appealed to me previously no longer resonated.

We simply didn't vibe the same.

And this is why I FEARED rewriting my book series because What if EVERYTHING changed?! How could I possibly keep it the same, but different?

Luckily, for me, I'd left SO MUCH out of my original books that adding stuff in wasn't an issue. It was more of a matter of WHAT to include in the rewrite. I realized that I wanted to combine real world issues with fantasy. And that, while my MCs (main characters for those of you who aren't used to book/writers' terminology) are instantly attracted to each other, I would have to include scenes that took them from their initial attraction to love without falling into the trap of INSTALURV—which will be my next post, by the way, followed by a rant on word count.

I had a list of changes to implement to the series, things I'd personally like to see happen in YA that aren't currently happening.

But Con #1 is this: From year one to the next, we might look back and change our work, and then by the time we've made those changes we are different and ready to make more changes. Either way, the story will, without doubt, lose something. Mine went from poetic, lyrical, and sweet, delivered minimally like a screenplay to horrifyingly romantic, seductive, with cinemagraphic writing; though, I am sure there are places of lyricism in there somewhere because I began writing as a poet/song writer, and then a screen/script writer (I majored in film/cinematography in college—film was my first career choice) before learning how to write books, which is an entirely different medium of expression.

2. Manuscript burnout.

This one's easy: you want this book OUT OF YOUR FACE.

Forever.

3. The book you're writing now and planning to release 3 years from now may not be trending.

They say don't write to trend, but more often than not, trends do determine what books are most popular and are being read the most, and if having a writing career that will provide you with a livable income is your dream, then this is definitely something to think about. If the cool kids are reading THIS thing and you're writing the OTHER one, or you've published the “other,� your sales may not be as high as you'd like.

This'll make you slam your first against the PANIC button—Hurry HURRY write it and publish it NOW before the trend dies!

Timing can be everything.

To combat this, just know that trends aren't predictable, book genres and subjects do tend to circle back around—just, you'll never know ·É³ó±ð²Ô,—a²Ô»å it's always better to write from your heart and from a place of joy, simply because you WANT to tell the story, instead of chasing after a spot on the HOT list. Which, ironically, it's usually when you're NOT trying to make the HOT list is when you actually MAKE IT. Or, in MY case, get really great reviews and find readers when you LEAST expect it. Funny how life works.

How to beat away the cons

Trust your instinct: if you feel as though you need to make a change, then make a change. But also make a pact with yourself to reach a happy place in your manuscript where you say, “Okay, I can live with this.� IF the truth was known, I could keep changing things forever and tweaking every sentence and word.

Be REALLY in love with your book. It's okay to hate it and wanna burn it from time to time, but if this stays consistent, then this could be a bad sign; we don't get tired of good writing, or a good story, no matter how many times we've read it. Don't believe me? Think of your favorite book and how many times you've read it. See? If you hate your book that much, you should analyze why. (I hated mine and now I know why.)

Remember: Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.

Do not write to trends; fall in love with what YOU'RE doing instead and/or put a spin on the trend and make it uniquely your own so that the trend will keep trending. Figure out your VOICE and what you can bring to the table. What can you do that no one else can do? This will ensure you have readers for many years to come who read your work because they know you'll deliver “that special something.�

In closing:

The overall take away from this post: Rewriting is writing; my book “sucked� because instead of rewriting it, my naive and inexperienced self slapped some basic edits on the first draft and called it a day.

First drafts are supposed to suck. Rewrites is where all the magick happens.

I’m not going to lie.

I am deathly afraid you’re all going to HATE the new edition of the books. But maybe I’m being completely irrational.

Yes, some rereading will be required, but how can I even ask you to do that when some of you have been waiting for up to 4 years for Evermore and you just want to read THAT book?

The big question I’ve been getting asked via e-mail and messages is this: WHY did you rewrite the books?

This isn’t easy for me to answer, but I am going to try.

I’ve blogged about this once or twice, briefly, and you can check out those posts too after you read this oneÌý

From 2011-2015, (I originally released PIB in 2011) I received a lot of ugly comments about the book, that it wasn’t any good and it was too much like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or a Twilight Parody. I even received hate mail.

And for the longest time, I kept getting one stars and some people even took it as far as to e-mail and tell me my book was the worst thing ever, but they did so with not so nice words. It kept getting reviews that ridiculed it, ripped it apart.

I started to really, really hate it myself and I wanted to rip it apart.

And one night, I began wondering: Does everyone really hate it that bad? So I decided to test it out, (because I obviously like self torture) and I made it FREE on Google Play and Amazon so people I didn’t know could download it and tell me how much they hated it and why it should’ve never been written and why I should just quit writing and go hide underneath a rock in shame.

I didn’t even look at any of the reviews or ratings for the longest time, and I immediately began avoiding the internet and rewriting the books, breaking my butt off to figure out how to make this terrible thing I’d stupidly written better than it was. How could I deliver a more exciting story and allow the reader to know the characters and all the amazing things that a REAL book should have? I essentially sat out to study my craft and become a better writer.

While the not so nice reviews stung like flesh wounds, it was Evermore that inspired the rewrite of the first three books. When writing that book, a lot of new twists and turns began happening that I didn’t expect and I learned a lot about the characters that I previously didn’t know. Essentially, I knew right away that the books simply weren’t going to match.

And so away I went, reconstructing this terrible little pathetic book series and crying into my cereal every morning.

And then . . . something crazy happened out of nowhere, and to this day

MY MIND IS BLOWN

because I’ve been getting NOTHING but AMAZING reviews and ratings and comments and feedback and e-mails almost EVERY DAY from readers telling me they LOVE IT and want EVERMORE and they LOVE Marcus and Ellie and I am almost in a state of shock. How can this be? It certainly wasn’t that way before. Right now, I’m holding down an average of 3.7 on Google Play with 13,369 reviews and ratings last time I checked, the majority of them all being good or fair. And it's in over 150,000 hands, and that's only the FIRST book.Ìý

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And there’s even been mentions in reviews and comments and e-mails about readers really wanting it to become a movie and I’m over here holding my head with wide eyes, like what?!

Because while all of this was happening, Pretty in Black was already being rewritten.

I just felt like I had so much more to offer and more story to tell and that the original books weren’t good enough because I’d written them at a young age.

And now I feel like I’m going to completely disappoint everyone because I’ve rewritten the story.

The only thing I feel like I can do now is to stand up against the fear by having FAITH, something which I was lacking before, and follow my heart and instinct and trust that this will have a happy ending, or, I should say, a brand new beginning.

The new versions answer a LOT more questions about Marcus and Ellie, and what an Evermore really is and how all of that works. I’ve taken it to new levels and heights. YOU, the reader, will get to EXPERIENCE the story, instead of being told, THIS HAPPENS, and THEN THIS, AND THEN THAT.

ÌýI personally LOVE it, and I guess we will see what everyone else thinks whenever I’m completely done with it and release it. Ìý

Hey, y’all.Ìý

Yes, I said y’all LOL because I am, after all, from Alabama, born and raised.Ìý

For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and for those of you who don’t celebrate that holiday, then I hope you’re having a very wonderful November.Ìý

I am writing this blog post to say this: Thanksgiving 2016 was AMAZING and let me tell you why.Ìý

I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Not just on that one day, but for every day.Ìý

It took me a while to write up this post because I couldn’t see through the tears of gratitude, and this blog post may not be all that coherent or well written but I want to share this because it serves as my inspiration.Ìý

I have two amazing people in my life that have helped shape me into who I am—someone strong, a fighter, a believer.Ìý

You may or may not know this because I don’t think I talk about it a lot—I think I might’ve mentioned it here or there in previous postsâ€�(I should definitely talk about this MORE) but my grandmother is the reason I am a writer. She is the one who raised me. She took me to the library ALL THE TIME when I was growing up and she inspired my imagination. I have always wanted to be a writer and an author, and she has encouraged that dream. She’s read all of my books and she’s reading the new version of Pretty in Black right now, even as I am writing this. She has been my number one reader, supporter, and fan since day one. I simply would not be doing this if it wasn’t for her. On days when I want to quit, she gets mad at me and lets me have it GOOD. She makes it very clear in her own little way that I better not quit, dammit.Ìý

But between 2013 and 2014, I thought I was going to lose her. I was so incredibly scared. She’s like my mom and my best friend. She had to have back-to-back heart surgeries, and then she developed a massive hematoma that engorged her leg in loads of blood. If the paramedics would’ve been a single minute late, she wouldn’t’ve made it. She was stabilized at the local hospital and then MedFlighted to the hospital that was equipped to perform the surgery.Ìý

She remained calm and strong throughout the whole thing.Ìý

I have no idea how she did it, I would’ve died right then and there. She is so strong and I want to grow up to be just like that. She’s seriously my hero.Ìý

And that’s why 2013 and 2014 were so hard on me and why I didn’t write nearly as much as I would’ve other wise. I was with her, helping her through her recovery. Nothing mattered to me but her recovery. I would’ve given up writing forever if it meant keeping her well, safe, and alive.Ìý

And I am so THANKFUL because she has gotten so much better and she is still here with me and give me a minute because I am still crying. She is here and she is encouraging me to WRITE and she is reading my books and this feels like a miracle because it IS, it’s a tremendous blessing and my heart swells with gratitude every second I think about it. I don’t think I would’ve made it without her.Ìý

And I have so much more to be grateful for this year too. My aunt, the one who used to swim with me in the pool when I was little and dress me up like I was her doll, and the one who took me to see Candyman (I wasn’t even 10 years old!) against my grandmother’s wishes because she knew I loved horror movies, you know, The COOL aunt who let me get away with stuff, she beat cancer this year.Ìý

Earlier, when I got the news that she’d been diagnosed, I refused to tell anyone or post about it or spread it around, and I got really mad at anyone in the family who knew and kept talking about it, you see, because I am believer in this thing called ENERGY and like attracts like, and the MORE you talk about something, the MORE of that thing—whether good or bad—you’re going to get. I basically made them shut the hell up because I felt like spreading around the news of this would somehow make what she was going through grow because there would be more people talking about it and thinking about her illness instead of her health and tossing a lot of fearful, negative energy around that she simply did not need.Ìý

I told them that disease means a body that is not at ease. And she had been going through a LOT of stress. Everything had been extremely turbulent for her to the point that it made her sick.Ìý

I felt like the best way to help her was by keeping her happy, making sure she laughed a lot and was surrounded by pleasant things and that she ate right and took her vitamins, and just forget that she had ever been diagnosed and let the doctors take care of the rest.Ìý

Her daughter, and my cousin, was just as scared as I was, but everyone pulled together and this family got our miracle. She is now cancer free. We all knew the statistics, but I refused to listen to that. When I thought about her, I didn’t think about her dying, I thought about her healing and living. And she was a true champion too, keeping that beautiful smile of hers on her face the whole time. I am sure there were days when she secretly cried, but I know one thing, she didn’t succumb to it.Ìý

And she is my other hero because no matter what happens to her, she always makes the best of it and keeps a smile on her face no matter what, and I think she got hit the worst this year.Ìý

She had a lot of not so awesome things happen to her: her house got robbed, her husband walked out on her and her daughter, and she was even houseless last year or the year before (somewhere in there)Ìýand was having to stay with another family member until she found a house, and she did find a house, but had to move out of that house due to reasons I’m still unclear about, but you know what? She has an even more beautiful house now, and more smart TVs than you can imagine, and lots of lovely furniture; her Christmas tree is already up, the house is already decorated, and she has an amazing boyfriend who helped her not only fix up her new house but he was there helping her through her illness too. He is really, really sweet to her, like, I can’t even believe. You think guys like him don't exit, but HE EXISTS! Which gives me hope! And which is why I write about love and guys like that because I believe I will have one like that one day too, but this is sooooo off topic so back to the point.

She is my inspiration because she has taught me and showed me that no matter what you’re going through, if you think positively and keep looking forward and continue getting out of bed in the morning despite every reason not to, things WILL GET BETTER. Every time she has fallen down, she has somehow grown wings. She has an incredible bounce back rate.Ìý

And this is why Thanksgiving 2016 was amazing, because I got to go eat with her and my cousin, and my grandmother and brother, and all of their friends, and there we all were, better than we were, stronger, and all I kept doing the entire time was counting my blessings because I too, almost lost my house this year, the one I grew up in. But God and the Universe intervened and I was given a way to pay what was owed and I got to keep this house, which may not be the prettiest or nicest of places but it is mine, it’s where I made a lot of good memories and it keeps me warm and safe and it’s where I write my books, and I got to unpack all of my belongings and put them back where they went.Ìý

My grandmother, who is the engine of this family, usually cooks every holiday meal, but this year, my aunt cooked at her new house with the assistance of her boyfriend and her best friend. I wanted really bad to contribute a dish or two but couldn’t because I was broke this week and couldn’t even afford groceries which made me feel bad, but I was thankful that she invited me over. We had just enough food, not too much or too little.Ìý

And new things are happening: my brother and his beautiful fiance are having a baby next year! I think it’s due in April. It’s going to be a girl and they are gonna name it Scarlet Lenore so I will be an aunt in 2017!Ìý

And yes, I TOTALLY suggested the Lenore part because I am a major Poe fan.Ìý

And right now I am over here kicking ass on these books and continuing to count my blessings. God and the Universe have done so much for me. I have been given both 2015 and 2016 to write, Write, WRITE.Ìý

In 2015, I made a pretty good amount of money from book sales that I was able to use to subsist off of (by penny pinching, believe me) during this year so I could really throw myself into my writing and give this my all, give it everything I’ve got. Yes, I am running low of cash, obviously, but I know that I will be okay. I will make a bounce back. I’ve spent all of 2015 and 2016 making up for lost time and teaching myself how to write a book that readers will (hopefully) love.Ìý

I never thought I could write like this, and I’m not even going to take all the credit because I know it’s not all me. There’s some divine source out there who is making this possible and I couldn’t do it without my belief in the higher being.Ìý

I never thought I could ever love anything as much as I love these books, (the books that received enough hateful reviews, comments, and messages that made me hate them for a while; at one of my lowest points, I really did believe that these books were the worst thing I could’ve ever done in my life and I deserved to be punished for writing them. For a while, they were the bane of my existence.) But now, and for once, in a very long time, I am truly proud of myself for what I've accomplished by refusing to give up or listen to the negativity. I'm even more grateful for the “negativeâ€� comments and reviews because they've helped me pinpoint my weaknesses as a writer and it was from those particular reviews that I found my strength; I've developed a really thick skin and more confidence in myself.Ìý

I am so thankful that I kept going when I wanted to give up.Ìý

And I owe the most THANK YOUs to YOU—my readers and fans and to all of you who have supported me and who continue supporting me while I get this author thing together.Ìý

I want to give back to you for being so incredibly patient with me.Ìý

And I want to one day be able to give back to my grandmother and my aunt and let them know how special they are to me. I want to do something for them. Maybe one day, I can afford to cook a nice dinner in a nice house and invite them over to celebrate the holidays.Ìý

(I still love my tiny little house though!)Ìý

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