Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I've been absent.

I'm not only talking about from social media and this blog. I've been absent from myself, trying to fit myself into a mold that wasn't meant for me. Into a life that's a little too tight around the collar.

I'm a stubborn person. I think most people kind of are. So when that little voice deep inside started telling me I was traveling down the wrong life-path so many years ago, I ignored it at first. After a while, I started listening, but by that point I'd invested so much in this new path that I wasn't about to change course without seeing it through. So what if the destination wasn't something I truly wanted?

I knew I was going the wrong way and keep trekking onward.

See? Stubborn.

The first step back to "me" was taken almost two years ago. I'd decided to finally write a book -- finally achieve one of my "someday" goals. I needed to do something for myself, because it had become painfully clear that I wasn't me anymore. Gathering Water is a story about a girl discovering herself, and writing it was a desperate attempt to find myself again, after so long.

It didn't work overnight. I didn't wake up one day, look around, and see my life exactly how I wanted it to look. In fact, it's still not that way. My life is... chaos. It's harder than it's ever been. Grownupping is agonizingly difficult sometimes (can I get an Amen?). But finally, I feel like I'm traveling the right way. Writing my first book started that journey, and it's one I'm still on and will be on for a while. Like I said, I've known I was on the wrong path for a while. But I'm finally doing something about it.

Part of this whole "doing something" that I'm talking about is jumping in. Jumping into my career and having a rewarding life. Jumping into becoming a "real girl" that my daughters can look up to instead of a puppet-person dreaming of a blue fairy coming to rescue them.

I'll be my own Blue Fairy, thank you very much.

The point of this post? I'm not sure, other than to let you know you'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on. No more half assing in my life. We'll call it my #UtopiaConResolution, which you know about if you're one of the amazing people who were in Nashville for this incredible con this June. Basically, this year I'm trying, and I thought that you should know. ;)

Cover Contest!!

Hey. Gathering Water has been entered into a contest for best cover! If you liked it, you should go vote! And tell your friends and family to vote for their favorite too...

http://www.ultimatefantasybooks.com/best-book-cover-2014.php


Personally, I'm IN LOVE with my cover. Like, true love, forever and ever. What do you guys think? How much does a cover draw you to a book? Have you ever bought a book based on the art? Which type of design are you drawn to the most? Do you have a favorite?? Let me know in the comments!

Go Home Muse, You're Drunk

Ah, wife work.

It's Tuesday morning, and I wake up from the most incredibly vivid dream. I start my daily routine (make coffee, iron, feed the kiddos), and my brain just won't stop thinking about it. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that it had the beginnings of a really interesting story idea.

SO as soon as I have a moment, I pull out a notebook and pen and start jotting down notes, needing to get it on paper before it leaves my head forever. But the notes turn into a weird rough outline, and my outlines ALWAYS turn into actual writing. When it's time to get my oldest ready for school, I'm reluctant to leave my spot on the couch where I'm surrounded by scrawled-on paper... but I have to. I'm distracted though, itching to get more thoughts down. When I finally get her out the door (basically pushing her into her grandfathers hands, since he is her morning chauffeur), I toss a bottle in the general direction of the baby and run to my computer and write.

And write.

I look a little like this... but a little crazier.
and not a man.

I'm a maniac. Gleefully typing away, and only coming up for air when mine or the babies bodily functions require it. Before I know it, it's three o'clock and my oldest is back from school. I look down at the computer and realize I've spent the entire day at my computer, and had written a whopping (for me) amount of words for the day.

That night I took my notebook to bed with me, the only compromise I could come up with since I desperately needed both SLEEP and more writing time (to be fair, I always desperately need more sleep). Wednesday morning I pumped out another complete chapter no problem, and yesterday took a fair amount of notes (I was too afraid if I sat down to type that I wouldn't get back up again)...

My muse has FINALLY settled enough so that I'm not constantly thinking about it. Which is good, because a little Ms. Anise needs to have her story written asap. Plus the whole Gathering Water book 2 thing.

... Not this type of fantasy.

What does this mean for you? Nothing really, other sometime in the (probably distant) future you'll be getting a story that is completely outside my current preferred genre of YA. Because this is not YA, at all. Or NA....  Strictly adult fantasy.

The point of this blog entry??? Um... I'm not sure. But, I can now officially consider myself an artist, since an idea for a book came from a dream. Haha. I'm one of 'those people' now. I HATE 'those people'. 

I'm joking, of course.

Also... no children were harmed, or ignored, while I was writing. For reals. 

What's next?

Okay, so this last saturday I officially became an Author... well, I published my first book at least.

You can get it on Amazon.com by clicking here.It's only $2.99. Yes, that's cheaper than your favorite coffee!!! If you're an Amazon Prime member, and have a Kindle device, then you can also borrow it for FREE.

But that's not what this blog post is about. Not really at least. I'm really letting the world know what other projects I have in the works... You know, if I tell people about them, then I HAVE to finish them, right?

I just started a short story earlier this week. It's based in the same world as Gathering Water, but centers around Della's (Gathering Water's protagonist) grandmother. It's a little more romance than fantasy, and borders a little more on the NA side of the genre. If you've read Della's book already, then you know about Anise through the journal entries, and this will be her story. One of young love, and heartbreak, and how that can change a person. I'm hoping to release it by late April, and it will be FREE. I have several other short story/novella ideas based in this world, so this will be the first of MANY.

Of course, I have book 2 in the Gathering Water series. Release will be this upcoming Fall if everything goes a planned, and will deal with Della's discovery at the end of Gathering Water. We'll find out more about the Elfennol world, what the Clades are really all about (are they really evil, or just a darker shade of gray?) and Della's place in it all. Working title is Tempering Earth... but don't hold me to that. Haha.

There's also this project that I am IN LOVE with. I was working on it before Della started screaming in my head for attention. It's more adult fantasy, and each book in the series will be a VERY loose portrayal of a fairy tale. Because I love me some fairy tales. I have NO IDEA when it will be finished, or released, since the Gathering Water series will trump anything new until book 3 is out.

Stay tuned for updates... I'll be posting about a GIVEAWAY tomorrow, so be sure to check in an enter!!!

Why I Write What I Write

A little over a week ago I published my first novel, Gathering Water. Since then, I've been... amazed by the great feedback I've gotten for it. Of course I love my book, and I love my characters... but to have other people love them too? People that don't know me to love what I write, well, it gives me a very warm and tingly feeling.

I wanted to tell you a little about why I chose this genre (as much as any author chooses what to write, at least). I have two daughters. Funny, crazy, brilliant daughters. I want them to read, want them to love the written word as much as I do. I want them to be influenced by the words they read, to find meaning in books, find glimpses of other worlds.

One day, I took a look around at this YA genre that has been going crazy on my Kindle the last several years, and I didn't like what I saw. There were too many "Bella's" and not enough "Hermione's". That is, the heroines in the stories weren't the type that I wanted my daughters to emulate. There weren't enough role models. While I'm THRILLED that so many young women find solace in books these days, I'm worried about this generation that has grown up reading about irresponsible, codependent, unhealthy people... Yes, it's fiction, and no I don't expect fictional characters to be perfect OR perfectly realistic. I'm also not going to say it's wrong to write about "instant-love"...

But...

Life imitates art... I believe that. Really, I do. So, instead of furthering antiquated stereotypes about the over-protective boyfriend saving the naive and incapable girl, I wanted to write a story where the girl is the hero. Not the 'heroine'... the hero. Someone who, while taking help from those around her, is still self sufficient. Someone who is still growing, and might make some mistakes but learns from them. Someone who has been dealt a really crappy hand in life, but doesn't let that define her.

A coming of age story. That's what my book is, first and foremost. Yes, there is a paranormal aspect (yeah, a big one). There's even a little romance thrown in. But my story is really about a broken girl discovering herself; discovering her path, her destiny. Everything else I consider a subplot (even if I'm the only one that does).

I'm going to step off my little soap-box now,

If you haven't yet, go read my book (you can click this LINK). If you have Amazon Prime, and a Kindle device, you can borrow it FOR FREE for the next few months.

Later this week I'll let you know about what I'm working on, so be sure to check back in here!

Illusions Begin REVIEW!!!!

So, this week has been... miserable? I mean, starting the week off with a 103degree fever and a diagnoses of strep throat will do that, right? And it comes at the BEST time in the world for it... by best I really mean worst possible.

This book has seriously been the highlight of my week. Well, that and antibiotics. But mostly the book.

I TORE through Becky's story yesterday. I mean, there were tons of other things I needed to do... like laundry, dishes (did I mention our dishwasher is broken?), or you know... bathing.... Okay I did that one, but only because I shoved my Kindle into a freezer bag and took it into the bath with me (yes, I'm a genius).

Illusions Begins, by N.L.Greene starts with a common childhood memory. We've all been to the circus, most of us have been dozens of times. But for 6 year old Katherine Rebbecca this is a pivotal moment in her structured life. She falls in love, at that young age, with the world of magic and it fundamentally affects her. As she grows, Becky comes to realize that magic isn't more than illusion, slight of hand, and well-thought tricks, but that realization doesn't decrease her fascination with the subject. In fact, she becomes obsessed with it, spending all her free time studying the masters of the craft, teaching herself the ins and outs of the industry by careful observation and unyielding determination.

But she does this all in secret, terrified of disappointing her loving parents. To them she is their brilliant daughter, poised to take over the family law firm after completing her degree in half the time. She is stifled by the double life she is leading, weighed down by guilt for not loving the dream career that she has. Because it's not her dream. It's not magic.

She is weighed down by the responsibility she has, tormented by her scumbag ex-fiance... and there's this mysterious guy that's been following her around. Appearing suddenly, and with impeccable timing, in a city as large as New York it's unlikely to be the same guy... impossible even. Why, only magic could make his too-frequent appearances possible, and everyone knows that magic isn't real.



So, go grab this book. Read it, love it, review it.

Find out more here.

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19155463-illusions-begin?from_search=true

GO buy it here. Now. Amazon- www.Amazon.com (yes, this will take you to the book page).


www.nlgreene.blogspot.com 
Facebook- N.L. Greene T
witter- @AuthorNLGreene

And what's this? A chance to win freebies??? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, ENTER ALREADY!!!

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Gathering Water... COVER REVEAL!!!

So, there it is. The cover for my upcoming book, Gathering Water. Props go to Bruce Gore of Gore Studios (Check out the interview I did with him HERE). Didn't he do a fabulous job?

My first book, a YA Fantasy, will be available at Amazon.com on February 1st. Keep reading for the synopsis, in case you missed my previous post about it! Also, go add Gathering Water to your 'want to read' shelf on Goodreads (here)!

There are plenty of things I could tell you about my life; plenty of things happened during my years in an inept foster care system. But my real story—when my life really began—started on the day I turned eighteen.

It was the day I discovered who I was. I learned my real name, my dead mother’s identity, and where we come from. These simple things prompted me to pack my meager belongings, hop on a plane, and come home to the dilapidated house in North Carolina that belonged to the mother I never knew.

Even though I have a home and a family for the first time, my thoughts are still burning with unanswered questions. Like why did my mother run away? Why the heck has my skin started to tingle every time it touches the water? And who—or what—is my father really? Because it definitely isn’t human--

And if all that weren’t enough, there’s this guy, Dove. Yeah, he might be a distraction from my true purpose, but when he offers a healing hand to sooth the damage from my past, I’m helpless to resist.

All I ever wanted was to know who I am, but my journey to self-discovery might just lead to the destruction of mankind.

My name is Della Doe Deare and this, well, this is my story.

NEW RELEASE: Illusions Begin 1/16

Katherine Rebecca has always done exactly what was expected of her.  Her prim and proper upbringing taught her the importance of family, sacrifice, and social stature.  She has followed in her parent’s footsteps, being trained and groomed daily almost from birth, to take over the family law firm.  It was never a question of IF she wanted to but WHEN she would take the reins of the company.  She worked rigorously toward that predetermined goal her entire life. She gave up friends, boyfriends, and an exciting social life in order to propel herself through school and college.  Katherine Rebecca strived to please her parents.  More than anything, she basked in their praise and approval.  But now, at 21 years old, she finds herself leading a life that is nothing like the life she imagined for herself.

Becky has always possessed a deep love of magic.  Ever since she was a small child she has been fascinated with magicians, illusions, mystery, and the vague hope that there was some sort of real magic in the world.  But this is a secret no one knows, or at least that’s what she thought.  Until one day Becky finds a mysterious business card in her pocket that leads her to an equally mysterious man.  He opens up a whole new world of possibilities to her, one with a tantalizing proposition that she never thought imaginable.

Could magic actually be real?

About the Author-

N.L. Greene, who is 1/2 of the author duo Riana Lucas, has decided to venture outside of the Fantasy world that she and her best friend created with Poppy and The Deadly Flowers Series to write a few books on her own.  While she loves working with her best friend, writing solo has allowed her to explore interest that had solely been her own.  She spends a lot of time reading her favorite authors which range all over the place and in every genre, but spends just as much time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, shopping, and playing video games.  Nichole was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Florida, where she and her high school sweetheart live with their two children.

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/NL-Greene/401424803313800

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7232704.N_L_Greene

Twitter- https://twitter.com/AuthorNLGreene  

Website- http://nlgreene.blogspot.com/

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REVIEW OF THIS BOOK TO COME

NEW RELEASE: Safer Outside 1/15

Mature YA Romance by Kristina Renee

Safer Outside, Book One of the Outside Series


When Liz moves to a new high school, she hopes for a fresh start. School is her escape from the violence at home and her only hope for breaking the cycle of poverty she was born into. Trying to shield her siblings from her stepfather's fury gets harder each day so when she meets Logan, she thinks it will be a harmless distraction from the fear. 

She's Wrong. 

Logan has the resources to change her life but at what cost? Her relationship is the best thing that ever happened to her but it could also be the worst. If she's not careful, she may lose everyone that's important to her. But it's hard to be careful when you're fifteen and in love. 

For readers 16+

Kristina Renee was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. She married her high school sweetheart after college and they have two sweet and adventurous sons. She spends her time chauffeuring her kids around and doing technical marketing but when she can escape, she loves reading, writing and editing. Learn more at www.KristinaReneeBooks.com follow @authorkristinar like facebook visit goodreads

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I Zombie

awesome cover

So, zombies. They're in, no?

Well, they are in this household. Between my addiction to the Love and Decay novella series by Rachel Higginson, and my husbands addiction to the Walking Dead on AMC, rarely does a week go by that we don't discuss our zombie apocalypse, plans.

Of course, those plans have always assumed that zombies are dead, soulless, flesh-eating creatures--Undead beings that have left behind their humanity along with their pulse.

But what if they aren't? What if zombies were capable of being cured... and not like in I Am Legend where the zombie-like creatures are still mindless and after your brains. I mean people that just so happen to have an infectious disease that makes them look and smell... ahem... dead.

That's the case in Jo Michaels new book~I Zombie. This unique tale is about Trixie Collins. She's a 17yr girl, attached at the hip to her hunky best friend, Jack, and has rotting, noxious skin.... That's right, she's a zombie. Gross, oozing, craves the raw flesh of animals, she has the one-of-a-kind ability to telepathically communicate with her fellow zombies-like people. This especially comes in handy when she and Jack decide save the fellow-infected after the government puts a bounty on the head of every person infected.

Two-parts horror, one-part romance, this book is a great addition to any persons electronic book shelf. Just be careful, this book might just break your heart a little....


If you want a chance to win a free, hardback copy:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/74308
If you just want a FREE electronic copy, that will be available on Amazon on January 9th. Really, there's NO reason not to give this book a try!

Gathering Water, a synopsis!

Without further ado, the synopsis for Gathering Water:

There are plenty of things I could tell you about my life; plenty of things happened during my years in an inept foster care system. But my real story—when my life really began—started on the day I turned eighteen.

It was the day I discovered who I was. I learned my real name, my dead mother’s identity, and where we come from. These simple things prompted me to pack my meager belongings, hop on a plane, and come home to the dilapidated house in North Carolina that belonged to the mother I never knew.

Even though I have a home and a family for the first time, my thoughts are still burning with unanswered questions. Like why did my mother run away? Why the heck has my skin started to tingle every time it touches the water? And who—or what—is my father really? Because it definitely isn’t human--

And if all that weren’t enough, there’s this guy, Dove. Yeah, he might be a distraction from my true purpose, but when he offers a healing hand to sooth the damage from my past, I’m helpless to resist.

All I ever wanted was to know who I am, but my journey to self-discovery might just lead to the destruction of mankind.

My name is Della Doe Deare and this, well, this is my story.

Stay tuned for more updates about my upcoming book... Also the regular stuff, like reviews and interviews, will likely be showing up again. So, watch out!

Why it's been so long.

Well, it's been A WHILE since my last post, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy writing.

Actually, it means I have been VERY busy writing. Writing what, you say? Oh, just a book. Yes, last week I finished the rough draft of my first (wink wink) novel. Since I am WAY too impatient to go through the ordeal of finding an agent and publishing house to pick me up, I will most likely be joining the ranks of Indie Authors in early February, which also means I have a lot of work left ahead of me. Ah, work.


I've been interested in writing since I was a child, and honestly it's been the only career choice that I've ever been interested in for more than a year or two... among the discarded 'what I want to be when I grow up' are: Park Ranger, Cafe owner, and High School Teacher. No, none of those random career paths have ANYTHING in common, other than they piqued my interest for a season or two, and it's not as if I actually did any of that. Well, I worked as a barista for a few years, but that was mostly to support my love of coffee.

 I still think I would totally rock one of those beige Park Ranger outfits... Well, probably not.

I think we can all agree that THIS
would be the best job ever.

But writing has always been, and even still is a little, something to dream about doing. Not something that I could actually do. That's like wanting to eat cake for a living, just way too awesome to be a real option. With the arrival of my second daughter this past year, and my new status as Stay At Home Mother, a job that I genuinely never imagined for myself but  just as genuinely love doing, I finally had the motivation write. Not the time, mind you. There is always something that I should be doing instead of writing. Dishes to wash, clothes to fold, beds to make, clothes to fold... My tombstone should read 'she did laundry'.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, motivated to write. My motivation? Well, as cheesy as it sounds, my motivation is to be a better role model for my daughters. Here I am, 26 yrs old, 2 kids, a college dropout and with no 'real' career options. I've accomplished little, and the only reason for that is... there's been no reason. How can I expect my daughters, who will have to overcome far more in life than I did, to follow their dreams if I'm too chicken to follow my own? I want to teach them perseverance and bravery. I want to teach them how to be better women than I will ever be. You know, because children are our future and whatnot.

So, I wrote a book and in a few weeks (6?) you'll get a chance to read it! Of course, the very thought is terrifying. Like, 'omigawd what am I thinking' kind of terrifying. But, I have to do this. I have to follow through, keep writing, and keep my fingers crossed that I don't suck at my lifelong dream. That people will buy my book and like it.

If you write it, they will come... that's how the saying goes, right? Right? No?

See? They came!

Later this week, I'll post up my synopsis so you can all get an idea of what my first novel is about. In the meantime, you can just comfort yourself with the super awesome title, which is....

GATHERING WATER

Striking, a Report Card... Book Review.

Report Card Book Review Title Striking (Amazon Link) Book list price N/A Author Rachel Higginson and Lila Felix eBook Price $3.99 Publisher Self-Published Stand alone or Series Series Genre NA Romance # in Series 1 of 4 Story- Overall Grade A Cami has lived a life of privilege. She’s materialistic, self-involved, and immature, and when her self-destructive actions spiral down to an all-new low, her socialite parents do the only thing they can think of by sending her off to her aunts sheep farm in Tennessee where she has to earn her keep by working. As in physical labor... as in absolute torture in Cami’s mind. She meets Stockton, the desperately gorgeous, and annoying, town blacksmith. Can they be brave enough to follow their dreams and will doing that pull them further apart? Plot A Romantic Subplot A I love these two together. Stockton and Cami have the ‘opposite’s attract’ thing down. I’m in love with their dynamic! Originality B Nothing too new, but I love the blacksmithing angle… a lot. Obstacle/Crisis B+ There’s not really anything external to overcome in this story, all the conflict is the angsty-internal kind. ‘Adult Content’ A Appropriate for older YA readers, and any steamy scenes (no actual sex) were very well written, and not cliché at all. Ending A Dum-dumdumduuuummmmm. Well done, and not contrived. Yay. Characters A Great cast of original characters. They were complete and well rounded, with strengths and weaknesses that were true to their characters. No cookie cutouts in this book! Protagonist A Cami is great. By that, I mean she seems real; she’s certainly not lovable at the beginning of the book. But we watch her undergo real growth, and I like that. Other Protagonist A Sexy, muscular, artistic, responsible? Seriously, what’s not to love? Supporting characters. A- They were great, but you only get a chance to fall in love with a couple of them; this story is very focused on Cami and Stockton Overall Development A The main character could have been based off of real people, that’s how well developed they were. Realistic problems. Character relationships A- Finally a love story with the characters taking the time to know each other before pulling out the ‘L’ word. Minor points off for the ‘drawn to each other at first sight’, but I take points off of all romance books for that… personal preference! Good role model A Cami is a great role model. Not because she always does the right thing, but because she learns from her mistakes. By the end of the book, she is willing to sacrifice a love (twoo wove) because she deserves respect and trust. Writing A- This would be an A but for some grammatical errors. The story flowed really well, and was easy to follow without being elementary. We got a perfect feeling for the characters, and a pretty decent one of their surroundings. Prose A Author’s Voice A These two women alternated chapters, each taking a main characters POV for the entire story. It was a very smart move, and we got a separate feeling from each protagonist, and therefore author. Editing A- In the edition I read, there were several small errors in grammar and punctuation. That being said, I read an ARC (in exchange for an honest review), so they may have been corrected by release date. Either way, it didn’t detract from the story for me. Punctuation, spelling and grammar B Additional Notes- A great romance read. This is in the New Adult genre, which is one that I’m not overly familiar with, but it seems to fit the bill. The story is good, the character development in Cami is great, and I really love how the main characters aren’t perfect and how they get in their own way more than anything else; it’s very realistic. ·       Some steamy make-out scenes, I’d still give this book an A-OK for teens to read even though it’s directed at 18-20somethings. ·       There will be more books in this series, each dedicated to one of Stocktons siblings. That means 3 more books.