The kindness of strangers

So ... I was in a bit of a funk this weekend, and I wrote a somewhat rant-filled post. My apologies. I deleted it (you guys don't need to hear me whine!), and I was reminded the very next day of how some people who we've never met go out of their way to say nice things. It does not go unnoticed! (On a semi-related note: I was standing in line at an ice cream shop in Portland this weekend, and a man passed by me and gave me the remaining balance on his gift card. It was a tiny amount, of course, but it felt good to be in the right place at the right time. Kindness travels.)

Now, in my aforementioned (deleted) post, I talked about taking a little break to work on another side project, which is tonally way different than The Ever Series. Well, last week said project was sort of stealing my will to work on the third book ... but fear not. I'm going to try to do both at once. And if I can't manage it, I will go back to my first love -- Ever, of course!

In other news, the proofs of For Ever and Never's new paperbacks are ordered and coming soon, so they will be available for purchase in the near future. So excited about that!

Lastly, the first seven chapters of For Ever are up on Amazon for free right now. They'll be available for a day ... or maybe five. I haven't decided yet. If you have a friend who might enjoy the book, but he or she wants to try it first, this is a great time to check it out.

Hugs to all of you who have left the wonderful reviews of Never (and For Ever) on Amazon. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

More soon!

CJ

"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

For Ever's names continued

For Ever's names (cont.):

Wren: I had a bit of luck with her name. When I started writing, I spent a lot of time looking at a baby names Web site. Looking for my main character's name, I happened to see that the "name of the day" on one of the sites was Wren, or "small bird." I thought of my character, unassuming but watchful and cautious around others. Then, when I found the last name Sullivan, it just fit. No specific meaning. It just was "Wren."

Alistair, Chasen, Audra, and Persephone: For all of Ever's immortal compatriots, I went straight to searching for names with particular meanings. We only meet Alistair briefly by the end of the book, but he is, for all intents and purposes, introduced as the front man. He's college age or a little older, and he appears to be a leader in the group (when in reality I see them as equals, despite their varying temperaments). The meanings behind Alistair seemed to lean toward "defender of the people," a concept I played with in the second book (see the spoiler after the jump). For Chasen, his name was pretty straightforward. It's a modern, more American take on Chase, meaning "hunter." No explanation needed. Audra, another American name, means "noble strength." I see Audra as beautiful, noble, aristocratic, unbending, and harsh. I took Persephone's name straight out of Greek mythology. She is a minor character in the first book, though I really played with her name in a way that becomes much more apparent in the second book.

Ashley, Josh, Taylor, Lindsay, and Marcus: For Wren's group of friends, the people who welcome her on her first day, I went straight to the U.S. Social Security Administration's Web site to find age-appropriate names.

Caroline: For Wren's mom, I did the same thing (the SSA's Web site). And again, her name just fit.

Iago: Well, that's a long story. If you want to read more about For Ever's eleventh-hour villain, it's probably best if you've read both For Ever and Never ...

How I chose For Ever's names: Ever

Names are really important. In a lot of ways they shape who we are. You can love your name, hate it, change it -- but it's meaningful any way you look at it. I found the names for the characters through tireless searching or total luck.

Ever first ...

Never is HERE

Yep, I'm sick to my stomach with nerves. ;-) Never is officially "In Review" on Amazon, which means that sometime within the next 12 hours it will be available for purchase. And I pretty much nailed it: 10:30 at night on a Sunday, the same way For Ever got published: with my husband pressing my finger down on "Publish" because I wouldn't do it! I'll link the page here when it's live.

To my super fans, let me know what you think, and thank you again for all the enthusiasm and well wishes!

Happy reading!!!

For Ever’s Playlist

My playlist for The Ever Series is a constantly evolving thing. During the writing and editing For Ever (sequel is with the editor now!), I had a lot of songs on repeat and found that sometimes the lyrics fit a particular point in the story well. Other times, it was more the sound of a certain song. But overall, music is an integral part of my writing process, even though sometimes I don't even notice it's playing in the background!

I tend to gravitate toward stuff that isn’t top 40 (or at least isn’t anymore), and most of it’s a little eerie and/or sad. I always have iTunes going while I’m writing; it feels like something is missing if I don't. Then, when I’m not writing, I barely listen at all. Not sure why. I guess music equals inspiration and vice versa. I haven't listened to music much since finishing Never, but I'm planning to start up again -- soon -- for the third book.

So, if you're looking for a completely random list of songs, here it is:

Chapter 1: Smile Like I Mean It

- Smile Like You Mean It, The Killers

Chapter 2: This Is Nowhere

- Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans, Smashing Pumpkins

Chapter 3: Perfect

- Rest My Chemistry, Interpol

Chapter 4: Caring Is Creepy

- See My Friends, Gravenhurst

Chapter 5: Blank Page

- Rhinoceros, Smashing Pumpkins

- Right Where It Belongs, Nine Inch Nails

Chapter 6: Momentary Thing

- Elegia, New Order

Chapter 7: Run

- Jellybelly, Smashing Pumpkins

- Where Boys Fear to Tread, Smashing Pumpkins

- A Place to Hide, White Lies

Chapter 8: Tear Me Apart

- Death, White Lies

Chapter 9: Space Boy

- Alice, Cocteau Twins

Chapter 10: Disappear Completely

- Gasoline Rain, Moondog

Chapter 11: Love

- Minerva, Deftones

- Half of You, Cat Power

Chapter 12: Unfinished Business

- Popplagi›, Sigur Rós

Chapter 13: My Friends

- Kids, MGMT

- Young Folks, Peter Bjorn and John

Chapter 14: The Silence

- Everlong, Foo Fighters

- Intro, The XX

Chapter 15: Mirror

- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (Guess the song!)

- How to Disappear Completely, Radiohead

Crashing back to reality

I had this crush in high school who was actually (in certain ways) the basis for Ever. Not so much in looks -- said crush had brown hair and piercing blue -- not green -- eyes. LOL

He showed up in the middle of sophomore year and was a bit of an enigma. And if he even looked in my direction, it was an adrenaline rush. For two and a half years, he totally dominated my thoughts. I obsessed ... and made everyone around me nuts. Like every crush, it was epic highs and crushing lows. Publishing For Ever has actually felt very similar!

Yesterday, after a grand high, I came crashing back to reality. Why? Because I had the brilliant idea to run a very last-minute free promotion on Amazon (thinking to myself, "Fewer people have been buying For Ever since August, so maybe its run is over ... let me test that theory."). By the end of the day (or as close to midnight as I got), For Ever had reached #13 in the Children's Love and Romance category (free) and #56 in the overall Children's Fiction category (free). Now, in my short foray in self-publishing, I know this is not a great feat. It's easy to give away free stuff. People love free stuff.

In the aftermath, I'm left with two questions: First, will anyone who downloaded a copy for free actually read it? And second, are the people who downloaded it for free the intended audience or simply people who like getting free stuff, regardless of whether or not it seems like something they would enjoy?

I just don't know; therefore, my experiment with free is over until I see compelling evidence (i.e. that someone who downloaded it for free read and enjoyed For Ever) to change my mind.

That said, I'm very grateful for the support of the readers who took a risk and splashed out the $0.99 (£0.77). (For those of you who have reached out to say a kind word, I am extra grateful.)

Universal Applause is at least Two Thirds of a Scandal

When I forget that not everyone likes everything, I read this passage:

Books, and Dishes have this Common Fate; there was never any One, of Either of them, that pleas'd All Palates. And, in Truth, it is a Thing as little to be Wish'd for, as Expected; For, an Universal Applause is at least Two Thirds of a Scandal. So that though I deliver up these Papers to the Press, I invite no Man to the Reading of them: And, whosoever Reads, and Repents; it is his Own Fault. To Conclude, as I made this Composition Principally for my Self, so it agrees exceedingly Well with My Constitution; and yet, if any Man has a Mind to take part with me, he has Free Leave, and Welcome. But, let him Carry this Consideration along with him, that He's a very Unmannerly Guest, that presses upon another Bodies Table, and then Quarrels with his Dinner.

-- From the preface and postscript to the anthology Seneca's Morals by Way of Abstract, Sir Roger L'Estrange, 1673

(Yes, I am being very post-y today!)

Psst ...

For Ever is free on Amazon for the next 24 hours.

Get it here.

Who's ready for Never?

Never's weekly teasers

After receiving a very kind e-mail* from a fan of For Ever, I've decided to start releasing a Never quote (or scene) until the book is released. If things moves along full-speed ahead, then maybe the book will come out before I've shared all 24 teasers. ... Hmm, now that would be awesome. We'll see.

Stay tuned. I have other big news in the works!

* A big thank-you to Gena for her praise of For Ever.

*** Bonus teaser after the jump *** 

Bookworm Babblings review

... And that's it! For Ever's blog tour for August is done with one last review from Bookworm Babblings.

 

As Never continues to go through the editing process, I'm really looking forward to getting into the third book in The Ever Series, but my day job may get in the way for the time being. Crossing my fingers that I can get started soon.

Also -- I'm aiming to get some teasers of Never up by tonight, so I'll be back. If you have any burning questions or comments, let me know!

Doctor's Notes review: 4/5 notepads

A review from Shieka at Doctor's Notes. Gotta say, I really liked this review. It focuses a lot on the positive, which I always find refreshing!



Thanks to Shieka for new thoughts about For Ever! (Plus, just look at the artwork on her button -- it's so pretty! Love it!)

The few last reviews of For Ever

This week will mark the end of the August blog tour with SupaGurl. It's definitely been a wild ride.

Today's review is by Shellie at Creative Reads. Then, another review tomorrow and the last is on Friday.

As for me, I am nearly halfway done with the first round of edits to Never. Then it goes off again for more edits. If things keep moving along, I may get this sequel out early, but no promises.

The first review of Never is in

And my test reader says:

"It's awesome. I really liked it."

(Yay!)

For the record, said reader's rating scale goes like this:

It's not my thing.
It's fine.
It's good.
It's great.
It's awesome.

While I was away ...

You know that feeling when you leave on a short trip and come back ... and it feels like you've been gone forever? (No pun intended!) I totally just had that! Went to a wedding in Las Vegas for a family member, and let me tell you ... Las Vegas, Nev. and Portland, Ore. could not be more different. It was sweltering, perfectly clear and in the 100s in Vegas; it was raining and in the 60s or 70s when I got back to Portland. Two totally different planets.

While I was gone, the August blog tour with SupaGurl marched on with reviews and guest posts (including my tentative casting of For Ever as a movie). The reviews were (mostly) good, though I've found over and over that you can't please everyone -- and if you try, it won't work out!

To those of you who "liked" For Ever on Facebook -- you guys are awesome and I hope you're looking forward to Never. By the way, my test reader is about five pages from finishing and says the sequel is (even) better than the first.

Here's a recap of the goings on while I was in Vegas:

 The Book Lover's Report (long-ish interview)

For The Love of Film and Novels (review and guest post with For Ever's fantasy cast)

waiting on sunday to drown (review) 

***Singing and Reading in the Rain*** (review)

Hard copy of For Ever is HERE

Buy it here!

Jenn's Review Blog: A new review of For Ever

Hop on over to Jenn's Review Blog for a new review of For Ever.



This is officially the last third of SupaGurl's blog tour for August! Then I'm taking a break for non-For Ever related projects. Some of them are boring, regular old work-work projects; others are part of my super-secret fiction pile, which may or may not be revealed to the public in the future.

It's also the last month of summer. Bummer!

For Ever as a fairy tale on FireStarBooks

Ashley of FireStarBooks is hosting For Ever. In this post, I talk a little about For Ever as a fairy tale. You know, Prince Charming, The Villain, The Love Story ... and Happily Ever After (For Ever style).

Thank you to yet another blogger from Canada! You guys rock!

@ Books&Beauty today

Over at Janiera's Books&Beauty blog today! Plus, I've got news and teasers coming soon!

What's Beyond Forks? An interview, apparently!

Gabby of What's Beyond Forks has a great interview up as part of SupaGurl's blog tour this month.

Check it out!