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ÌýJanuary update:

First: Here's how I feel about my NEW ideas.Ìý

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So, we're a little over halfway through the month or something like that. I wish I could say I have knocked out over half of my goals, but interestingly, my goals have somehow shifted all on their own. So here is a revision of my goals, which is gonna carry over into February.

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-Eliminate my darlings on MS (PH-HA) so the real story will shine through, and then work on completing it.-Write MS #2 as much as possible-Write MS #3 as much as possible

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And that's it. I'm bumping Evermore into later this year. There's still some skill sets that I must obtain in order to be able to reach my maximum potential and finish this book. There's some really badass scenes I wanna write, but I must learn how to achieve certain things when writing a realistic battle scene first. I want to bring the battle scenes to life, (movie style) not just skim over it, like what happened in Twilight: Breaking Dawn for example. Noooo.

All that's left on the book that needs to be written are the epic battle scenes that I've already sketched out.

So yeah, I have 3 EPIC YA/NA novels planned, but they are nowhere near finished, but they are going to be really, really, really, good when they are complete.

I do believe I have improved my craft and I've gotten better at writing than when I was 22. You see, when I was 22 and wrote Pretty in Black I had never really written a book before. I began writing as a poet and the transition from lyricism to prose ended up with me carrying over all of these pretty phrases and weird things that I incorporated into my writing that I thought was just “darling.� If you've read Frankie's Monster then you know what I mean.

But I am in no way mocking or knocking those books because I still believe they are epically good. But as I've grown, I've gotten more into awesome dialogue that makes characters jump off the page, and really good description that makes the reader feel like he's really there in the scene. Oh, and in my fantasy novels, I'm into writing explosive battle scenes. (And Steampunk is my new wild obsession that I just cannot get enough of, so be prepared for this.) I'm not even sure I'm writing steampunk in the “correct way.� I'm basically taking the concepts that make steampunk what it is, then warping, distorting, and molding that concept into something slightly different as I'm world building an alternative world located in the Pretty in Black Nevermore-Land of Naught area. So yeah, I'm still world building the Experiment in Black series. So far it's 6 books long with 4 actual books and 2 novellas. This won't release until next year though, because like I mentioned earlier, I'm learning new skill sets to bring the world to life.

I'm pretty sure there will still be a certain lyrical quality to my work, just not as “over the head� as before.

And I've never been a fan of “beating a dead horse,� so I'm always giving myself challenges and trying new things. I don't want to deliberately release a “new� book that's basically a rearrangement and repackaging of another previous book. Not even in the Pretty in Black series. I wanted each book to continue the story, but also I wanted each one to be its own distinguished thing. Have a different tone, etcetera. Y'know, just to keep it interesting.

So my focus for the first half of this year is writing these 3 EPIC CONTEMPORARIES because even though I LURV me some Fantasy, there's a BIG place in my heart for contemporaries. And I have 3 of them that I've fallen madly in love with.

Ooooo this is gonna be good guys. I promise.

But as I work on writing these 3 books, I am also gonna be world building my fantasy books in the background and jotting down scenes at random as they come to me so as soon as these 3 books are with my lovely editor, I can gear up (hahaha, gear up, get it? Steampunk?) to finish Evermore and write Experiment in Black which I've already started on anyway.

Cheers! Ìý

From The Reading/Writing/Blogging Challenge Hosted by

Firstly, welcome to 2014!!! Who thinks this is going to be an amazing year?! I do!!Ìý

Here are my goals for this month!Ìý

Have at least one 10k writing day this month (at the most 2)Finish writing my YA Contemporary NovelReach 100k on Evermore which will be a goal I've been trying to reach for quite some time! It'll be the most I've ever written on one book. Though, keep in mind I will still have quite a long way to go before the book will ever be complete!! So I'm going to actually end up surpassing my 100k book goal!!)Create a list of Epic Battle scenes for my new series, along with creating new battle scenes for Evermore so I can finish the book. Because yeah, writing the battle scenes is my favorite part!ÌýCreate some awesome new steampunk inventions to go in books!/Continue World Building my new fantasy series!ÌýRead a New Novel/Finish reading one of the novels I've already startedWrite the Snow Prince Symphony—a Novella to my new series.ÌýDesign New Swag!Ìý

So yep. These are my goals. Let's do this!!Ìý

On December 31, Marcus & I celebrated our birthdays. But in Black Satin, on New Year's Eve, he and Eleanor head to Paris, France where he promises (or finally gives in!) to make her a vampire. (And knowing that she will become his forever ends up being theÌýBest Birthday Gift Ever)

In Evermore, she will finally become a vampire!Ìý

Only 365 more days!! *EDIT* According to the Countdown Timer, It's 362 days. Apparently I cannot do maths.ÌýOh yeah *slaps forehead* The countdown is marking off 3 days. One off because book releases on the 30th and not the 31. One down because this is leap year, and the last one because it is now officially Jan 1, 2014!* Durr. Wowness. First #fail of the New Year. So anyway, Moving along now.Ìý

SO...does anyone rememberÌýTHIS?

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[....]

“All I can say at this point is, I'm not giving up. You already know this, Marcus. If you don't change me now, you will. Eventually. You have to remember, I'm persistent.�

He laughed a little and pulled me into him, brushed my hair off my neck. From inside the building that we were standing on the balcony of, we heard the final countdown.

“I think I hear the final countdown, Marcus.�

He leaned me back, his hand entwined in mine, his other arm beneath my back. His long dark hair brushed against my skin like satin, as he pressed his ruby lips to my neck. My breathing was erratic, my pulse raced. “Are you ready for forever?� His velvet voice, almost a whisper, buzzed along my neckline, causing me to shiver, and landed warm against my ear.

“Yes. You know I am. I've dreamed about this.�

His lips still on my neck, he kissed me. A whimper escaped from the back of his throat—a sound I'd never heard him make before. “I love you,� he said. Those three words made my skin prickle. My heart beat faster. He kissed my eyelids, my lips, my throat—the pulse. The heat rose in my body; his teeth bit my skin, but did not pierce through. He trembled, unable to stop himself. I clutched his back, grasping the fabric in fists.

His lips grazed my ear, “I love you.� A shiver crept over my skin, my body arching forward. His lips moved to my mouth. I heard him catch his breath. His heart thumped rhythmically in his chest as though he were alive. He gave me a frantic, bone shattering kiss that left him athirst. His heavy breathing, his hands running along the curves of my body, made me dizzy. He closed his eyes.

With painstaking rumination, the tips of his fingers grazed over my neck, a deafening silence. I didn't move as his hand paused at the base of my throat. He listened to the arrhythmic beating of my heart, my pulse thumping beneath his fingers. He kissed me along my neckline and throat. I almost burst apart from the longing. My blood burned for him.

I pushed his hair back gently, feeling its softness on my fingertips. “I have to tell you something.�

“Anything.� He raised his gaze to my eyes. A dreamy, scintillation filled his. I brushed my fingertips beneath the shadowy depth of them; he had no need for sleep, but he appeared restless.

“I was ready for death. I wanted out. I wasn't afraid to die, and I'm not afraid to die now. I'm just glad I didn't die like that, without ever knowing you. Not knowing you would've been a far more tragic fate than death. I'm glad that it's going to be like this, me in your arms. I'm happy that it's with you.�

“And you should be thrilled you're halfway there.� He chuckled, remembering what he'd said to me the first time we met in the cemetery. Those had been his first words to me.

But I wasn't thrilled. Halfway? “What would make me a full Evermore , then?�

“My blood in your veins,� he said. “Your blood in mine, only connects me to you, binds us together.�

“And when can I have that? All of that...All of you?�

He placed his finger over my lips. “Shh. You already have all of me. But if anyone's going to risk being a monster, I'll go first. Because I couldn't live with myself, knowing I turned you into something horrific. I don't want to ruin this, what we have. If this works—�

“And I know it will...�

“â¶Ä�If this works, and I don't become a monster, then you can have me. All of me, forever.â€�

“But?� I said.

He took a deep breath. “If it doesn't...then I want you to run and never look back.�

“I can't—I can't promise that.�

“You must, if this is what you want, this is part of the agreement. It's the only way I'll do this.�

This moment was indescribable. “I promise.�

â€�°Õ±ð²Ô...²Ô¾±²Ô±ð...±ð¾±²µ³ó³Ù...â€�

He held my gaze for those last ten seconds of my human life. I would know what it was like to die in his arms. On the final count, the fireworks exploded in the background. He leaned me back again, sinking his teeth into my neck. A fire electrified my veins. The feeling was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Both pain and pleasure. The color of the fireworks grew more bright...more intense. And then...I felt my heartbeat slow. I closed my eyes and saw Marcus in my vision. He was more beautiful than before. The moment when we first met in that cemetery was on repeat.

A surge of euphoria shot through me, turning my emotions into a frenzy. I felt everything he'd ever felt for me, and I felt everything I'd ever felt for him, combine together. I couldn't contain myself, I had to grasp at him, clutch him. I wanted to scream, utter sound, but nothing escaped my lips. It was a silent and pleasing death. Unlike I imagined it to be. Our past and our future, wrapped together in one complete vision. The one scene my mind kept coming back to, was our wedding. That day, would forever be, the happiest day of my life. And before everything went entirely black, I heard Marcus's voice:

Your heart will not stop beating. As the days pass, we become one. I don't want to take anything from you, Ellie. But I do want to be with you forever. You will have everything you've wanted. Your ever-after. Your mom, your dad, your sister, everyone will be at your wedding. That's the way it's supposed to be. But after that, when you become a full Evermore , life will go back to the way it was in the beginning, for everyone else. It will be the way it was before I came into your life. The final decision is yours. When you're ready, you take from me. That way, I know for certain that you want this. You come to me, on your own, and drink from my vein. I'm not giving you a full transformation. I'm allowing you the space to change your mind.

I would compromise with him for now. I would be satisfied with his decision to make sure I was completely happy with this choice I was making to be with him. I knew I wouldn't change my mind. I would have everything I'd ever wanted. Marcus and I would have both life and death, wrapped together in a beautiful, haunting, and never ending existence. I would Frolic with Marcus Marble in the Land of Forever. And for Always. And knowing that with all of my still beating heart, my vision faded to black.

[....]

And if you've readÌýRaven in the Grave,Ìýthen you know how Eleanor and Marcus begin their New Year together. Hehehe...

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Because I have aÌýGAZILLIONÌýthings to accomplish in 2014, I've jumped on board with 2014 personal goals challenge.Ìý

There are books I need to write.

Books I wouldÌýloveÌýto read.

AndÌýNEW SWAGÌýthat needs to be designed!Ìý

Each month, starting in January, I will write up a post listing my goals and at the end of that month I will come back and let you know how I did and if I accomplished my goal(s).Ìý

This will also meanÌýTeasers, teasers, teasers!Ìý

Because seriously, I have soooo many books that I'm working on. And I really need the encouragement!Ìý

I'm already liking this challenge.Ìý

It's a way for bloggers, readers, writers, and bookish peoples to have fun and support each other in reaching goals :) Sounds really fun!Ìý

To join in on the challenge,

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Hey guys! So I just got this super awesome idea to share snippets with you from my #WIPs as I cross the finish line on all 4 of them.Ìý

I've created a page for each book. For every 5k I write on each book, I will post a new Teaser from that book along with a gif!Ìý

I have 50k more to go on Evermore, so this means 10 teasers for you! You can find them all here, right on this page.Ìý

I debated whether to do this or not. It might seem extra cruel to some of you, considering the book doesn't release until December of NEXT YEAR. But then again, that's subject to change at any time....so stay tuned!Ìý

Here we go!Ìý

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ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR PILE!Ìý

ÌýÌýEllie's Transformation into a Vampire #1

December 8, 2013

In late November, it has begun to snow. Glistening snowflakes gently fall from a velvet sky, landing on my eyes, my lips, my cheeks, my arms. I reach up with my hands and it's almost as if I could touch the stars. Everything is winterland bright.

There is absolutely nothing monstrous about being a vampire. In fact, it's quite beautiful.Ìý

SOME OF YOU GUYS HAVE ASKED ME A VARIANCE OF THIS QUESTION:

Rae, do we REALLY have to wait an entire YEAR for Evermore (Pretty in Black #4) to release??!!

WHYYYY?!!

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Here is my answer :)Ìý

Q :"Must we really wait for next December? *cries*"
ÌýA: Lol! I know *cries* with you. Right now, that's the release date. It's possible this could change next year, but I've scheduled it that way to allow me the room to make this book the very best it can be. It's going to be the largest and best one in the series. (At least that's what I'm going for!!) And editing will take a while :) Also, there's a spin-off series titled The Experiment in Black series set to release in 2015, and I'm having to tie that in to this book. So, if I can accomplish all of that before December then we might have this book in the world sooner :) And of course giving readers more time to discover this series will be super great! I'd love to have several more of you in line for the finale :D

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Editing takes forrrrrrever if it's done correctly. As an Indie, sometimes typos and mistakes can slip through undetected. It happens. & it drives me crazy.

And then there's formatting & design...

I want what I put in your hands to be as professionally edited and designed as possible. It's your time and your money you're spending. That's the least I could do.

After having to backtrack several times during 2012 and 2013 to get the books updated across all channels, I have decided to slow down my release dates so we'll all be Ìýhappier.Ìý

This is one of the main reasons Evermore is scheduled to release a year from now.

Another reason is because I want as many people as possible to read the series and catch up with the story line before the finale. And if my dream of that really happened, then the release of Evermore could be bumped up 6 months before its scheduled release date :)

*hint-hint*

Clue: This is why I've lowered the prices :) So if you've read it, liked it, loved it, then tell a friend or two.Ìý

(The summer of 2014 would be the best I could do. It's better than December, right?!)Ìý

I really appreciate and adore all of my readers & the support I've gotten from bloggers since becoming an Indie Author. I

A WEDDING IS TAKING PLACE IN EVERMORE :)Ìý

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TIME FOR NEW THINGS!Ìý

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It's a new month. So Welcome to December!

It's officially 29 days until my birthday and the New Year!

And here is my new blog! (I know, I know, IÌýtotallyÌýjust had to change blogs again.)Ìý

But I needed a new space because

2014 is going to rock!Ìý

I like this new blog because all of my social media sites are integrated, & it has a lot of kewl easy to use features! I can also post things faster and share meaningful content related to my books with you guys also!Ìý

SO CHECK IT OUT!Ìý

Since you're here, here are some things you can doÌýNOW!

ClickÌýanyÌýof the TABS. You will find the book blurb and cover image. When you click on the cover image, the first few chapters from the book will appear in the browser! READ IT!Ìý

CHECK OUTÌýthe very first teaser from theÌýExperiment in BlackÌýseries!Ìý(You can also view the pinboard for the book)

MY BOOKS HAVE NEW PRICES FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Yup, that's right! If you've been wanting to read theÌýPretty in BlackÌýseries orÌýFrankie's MonsterÌýand haven't gotten around to it just yet,ÌýorÌýyou have no clue what it's about but you're curious to find out, now is your lucky day!

The books are pricedÌý$0.99-$2.99ÌýatÌýAmazon, B&N, and Kobo.Ìý

MY BIRTHDAY IS DECEMBER 31 & so is MARCUS MARBLE'SÌýand if you haveÌýno ideaÌýwho he is or why that matters thenÌýBUY A BOOK!Ìý

(You will fall in LOVE with him!)Ìý

BUY A BOOK. READ THE SERIES. BECAUSEÌýEvermore (Pretty in Black #4)ÌýÌýis coming your waaaaaaay NEXT YEAR. And you REALLY wanna be able to read this book.Ìý

And if you've bought aÌýPaperback EditionÌýof any of my books,ÌýAmazonÌýhas this really neat thing going on right now. You can get the e-book copy on discount!

This means, if you've boughtÌýPretty in BlackÌýthe e-book edition is nowÌýFREEÌýfor your kindle! Frankie's Monster, too!Ìý

#FAIL


I just need a hug...







Wanna know what I did?Ìý

I totally DELETED EVERY IMAGE FROM MY BLOG and I just spent an hour tryingÌýto replace some of them.

This happened because of Google Plus and me being on an i-phone and clicking the wrong button.

*HEAD-DESK*

Brilliant. Clap-Clap. Let's hear the applause.

Gah. I'm stillÌýtrying to "get my shit" together, so to speak. It's been an

I've been MIA because I'm working really hard on writing new books, but I decided to check in for this Holiday announcement.Ìý


Starting on Black Friday, the Pretty in Black series will be on sale. The first book in the series is $0.99, so if you've been wanting to check it out, then :D



Frankie's Monster is also $0.99Ìý



The sale is for Amazon Kindle, B&N and Kobo.



Additionally, if

HEY PRETTY IN BLACK & LAND OF FOREVER FANS



Okay, so I cannot keep this to myself. ÌýThe Pretty in Black series will NOT end with Evermore.



Marcus and Ellie's story will end, but there's a spin-off series in the works and it's gonna rock your frickin' socks off. I promise. :D



It has ALL of my favorite things. Steampunk, Gargoyles, Vampires, Romance, Mystery, and Badass Action Scenes.