Surprise! For the last few weeks, I've been working on the first chapter of For Ever -- only from Ever's perspective! (I'm still working on the third book in The Ever Series, but Ever's chapter is my little holiday season present to For Ever's super fans.)
***DISCLAIMER: This free chapter contains language that may not be suitable for all readers. Discretion is advised.***
Click the cover to the left for a first look at Ever! If there's enough demand, I'll start working on the full-length book, so let me know what you think in the poll to the right!!!
Again, I'm still hard at work on the third book, but I hope Ever's chapter is a welcome distraction.
Happy Holidays!
CJ
Monday, December 24, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
"A love letter" to For Ever's fans
I recently took a little break from the third book in The Ever Series to work on what someone (she knows who she is) called "a love letter to For Ever's fans." It's just the start of something, and I'm going to be putting it up for free on Amazon and -- most likely -- here very soon. Sort of an early Christmas present to those of you interested in "the other side" of For Ever. (Ha! I think I just gave away the surprise.)
Depending on the response I get, I may think about making this my next project. We'll see. And for those of you who have reached out, thank you! It is so appreciated. It keeps me going on the days I've thought about quitting.
I hope everyone has been having a safe and happy holiday season.
Best wishes,
CJ
Depending on the response I get, I may think about making this my next project. We'll see. And for those of you who have reached out, thank you! It is so appreciated. It keeps me going on the days I've thought about quitting.
I hope everyone has been having a safe and happy holiday season.
Best wishes,
CJ
Thursday, December 13, 2012
For those of you who have read For Ever
A dear, sweet friend sent this to me as a present, and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing a picture, because I was just too excited when I opened it up! For those of you who have read For Ever, do you recognize this???
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
I saw Ever last night
Last night, I could have sworn I saw Ever. It was eerie. I was driving by the gas station on the way to the store, and I looked over. There was a guy leaning against the wall at the side of the gas station, and for that half second I just thought, "Oh, whoa! Ever ..."
Hmm, maybe he's out there somewhere, sprung from my imagination. Shivers.
Plus, I started a super secret project over the weekend that I'm kind of in love with! (Yes, it's Ever-related!) Unfortunately, it's been distracting me from the third book in The Ever Series, which is not good. I may have more details by the weekend.
;-)
CJ
Hmm, maybe he's out there somewhere, sprung from my imagination. Shivers.
Plus, I started a super secret project over the weekend that I'm kind of in love with! (Yes, it's Ever-related!) Unfortunately, it's been distracting me from the third book in The Ever Series, which is not good. I may have more details by the weekend.
;-)
CJ
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Weird little things that have inspired The Ever Series
Inspiration. It can come from the strangest places, people we knew when we were younger, a song, a particular incident that stays with us forever. ... Likewise, some scenes and/or aspects of For Ever and Never have been inspired by some very random things:
a-ha's iconic Take on Me music video: If you haven't seen it, search for it on YouTube. Favorite video of all time!
Sonic Youth's The Diamond Sea: Listen to the lyrics! They are so eerie. Love 'em! I had to buy the music video on iTunes because I love the song so much. (If you've read For Ever, what do they remind you of?)
Nearly drowning at West Street Beach in Laguna: I grew up near there.
Growing up in Southern California and moving to Portland, Ore.: Big weather change; love PDX!
A high school crush*: He totally had no idea!
The little boy who lived down the street from me: He was really talented (and so cute), but also kind of off in his own world (like Ever).
Falling off a slide in Venice Beach: It was one of those playground slides that twists around. I had been racing my younger brother to the top when I lost my balance. ... I still remember that moment like it was yesterday. Very much like Wren and the drunk driver, I had this crystal clear moment where I thought I could reach up and grab the bar before falling. Then I felt my back connect with the metal slide and a second later my hands slapped the metal as well. OUCH! I had the wind completely knocked out of my when my mother turned around, so all I could do was cry, gasp, and limp toward her (she had been facing the other direction). She totally panicked! I must have looked like a zombie, moaning and gasping. LOL. But this is the one and only time I can remember time actually slowing down in my head, which led me to connect it to the next event, which happened to me in high school before I had my driver's license ...
Nearly getting hit by a car on a city street in Santa Monica, Calif.: My fault, not a drunk driver! My friend and I were about to miss the last bus to her house, and I dashed across the street against the light. A car literally came within a foot of hitting me. Totally thought I was going to die. SO stupid! I always wait for the light now.
The mean girls: Yeah, I went to school with them. Didn't everyone? I have too many bad stories to share here. Wren's run-in with the mean girls was actually pretty tame compared to some of the stuff I saw.
Those guys: You know the ones. They're the guys that you pass on the street. They look at you in a way that makes your skin crawl, and you can nearly see what's going on in their heads. They are the ones that when you see them, your brain screams, "Run!" I had an incident recently where I thought, "If I had been alone like Wren, this would've been bad." Shiver.
Tragic endings across all different genres and age ranges (For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audry Niffenegger, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, Love Story by Erich Segal ... There was even a James Bond novel I read in junior high school that left me crying at the end; I pay a little tribute to it in Never.) My advice? Do not read these without a box of tissue paper!
Long, silly crush-related story ahead ...
a-ha's iconic Take on Me music video: If you haven't seen it, search for it on YouTube. Favorite video of all time!
Sonic Youth's The Diamond Sea: Listen to the lyrics! They are so eerie. Love 'em! I had to buy the music video on iTunes because I love the song so much. (If you've read For Ever, what do they remind you of?)
Nearly drowning at West Street Beach in Laguna: I grew up near there.
Growing up in Southern California and moving to Portland, Ore.: Big weather change; love PDX!
A high school crush*: He totally had no idea!
The little boy who lived down the street from me: He was really talented (and so cute), but also kind of off in his own world (like Ever).
Falling off a slide in Venice Beach: It was one of those playground slides that twists around. I had been racing my younger brother to the top when I lost my balance. ... I still remember that moment like it was yesterday. Very much like Wren and the drunk driver, I had this crystal clear moment where I thought I could reach up and grab the bar before falling. Then I felt my back connect with the metal slide and a second later my hands slapped the metal as well. OUCH! I had the wind completely knocked out of my when my mother turned around, so all I could do was cry, gasp, and limp toward her (she had been facing the other direction). She totally panicked! I must have looked like a zombie, moaning and gasping. LOL. But this is the one and only time I can remember time actually slowing down in my head, which led me to connect it to the next event, which happened to me in high school before I had my driver's license ...
Nearly getting hit by a car on a city street in Santa Monica, Calif.: My fault, not a drunk driver! My friend and I were about to miss the last bus to her house, and I dashed across the street against the light. A car literally came within a foot of hitting me. Totally thought I was going to die. SO stupid! I always wait for the light now.
The mean girls: Yeah, I went to school with them. Didn't everyone? I have too many bad stories to share here. Wren's run-in with the mean girls was actually pretty tame compared to some of the stuff I saw.
Those guys: You know the ones. They're the guys that you pass on the street. They look at you in a way that makes your skin crawl, and you can nearly see what's going on in their heads. They are the ones that when you see them, your brain screams, "Run!" I had an incident recently where I thought, "If I had been alone like Wren, this would've been bad." Shiver.
Tragic endings across all different genres and age ranges (For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audry Niffenegger, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, Love Story by Erich Segal ... There was even a James Bond novel I read in junior high school that left me crying at the end; I pay a little tribute to it in Never.) My advice? Do not read these without a box of tissue paper!
Long, silly crush-related story ahead ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)