Website moving to ericachilson.com
Erica Chilson will no longer be placing up-to-date information on her WordPress blog.
If you were a subscriber of hers via email or WordPress, you will no longer be receiving email updates.
If you would please take a few moments of your time to visit the ‘Stalk the Wicked Writer’ tab on ericachilson.com to subscribe to her newsletter mailing list.
Thank you, and I apologize for the inconvenience.
Wanton (Blended #2.5) is LIVE on Amazon
Orbiting one another’s lives, yet never intersecting, a clandestine meeting finally pushes Opal Fischer within Ginny Jamison’s path.
In the past, in the present, and in the future, both women make a major impact on the lives of the Blended Family. They worry more about their loved ones than themselves, pushing their needs and wants to the back-burner. They themselves are the only ones in their own path to true happiness, by holding onto the debilitating wounds of the past and refusing to let go of their visions of the future.
Opal’s lifelong adage: the sin isn’t in the wanting; it’s in the taking. Will Ginny be able to make Opal realize the sin is actually in the regret of never taking what you want, what you so rightfully deserve?
Wanton (Blended #2.5) is a full-length Contemporary Romance novel featuring the slowly budding relationship between two females. Warning: a glimpse into future Blended Series books, with sensually erotic scenes featuring f/f & f/f/m. Wanton is approximately 67,000 words in length.
Book after Book, after Book…
**I just spent the last three days in the car, riding from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, desperately searching for a book to hold my interest. That is the emotion behind this blog posting- pure frustration mixed with bitter disappointment*
A plea to my fellow wordsmiths from the reader in all of us.
I spend a great deal of time in analytical-mode, observing others for their actions and reactions. I do this to perfect my character development. Lately, I’ve had a difficult time reading anyone’s books but my own because of ‘character lobotomies.’
I’m not just speaking of Indie or traditionally published authors. I’m speaking of BOTH!
Like actual human beings: age, gender, personality traits, emotional baggage, and careers should drive your character’s actions. The hardest thing for me to swallow when reading: characters acting out of character. The dumbass or helpless female disease. Many a doctor, lawyer, or other professional women, with 8+ years of higher education and an analytical mind with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, turn into dipshit, teenaged girls in these books.
“I know this is a bad idea, but I’m gonna do it anyway. So there!” *sticks tongue out like a petulant five-year-old child when in actuality is a 35-year-old professional* “Aren’t I cute and funny? Hehe!” *Looks like the first to die in a horror flick.* “Oh, shit, I shouldn’t have done that. Gonna get hurt now unless some manly man rushes in to save me.”
Erica rolls her eyes, threatens to smash her Kindle, and puts the author on the long list of DNF & ‘never-going-to-read-a-word-you-write-again.’
Authors: you have your characters thinking one thing in their internal monologue and reacting in an opposite fashion. This seems to be the norm today, along with insta-love.
Why this diatribe today? Well, I was reading a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and then it was lobotomized. Personally, the short backstory was the key to my interest. I would have rather read that instead. It was hard-hitting, engrossing, and worthy. Instead of expanding on the story to create a solid foundation, the author went ahead and made it about insta-love. I say it’s a cop-out. Write the story out, and quit selling me phony romance without a backbone or foundation.
There is something to be said about intensity, chemistry, and tension.
Build some.
In so many books today, the protagonists meet, and then it’s instant attraction and… *shudders* L-O-V-E? Really? Seriously? Love? What happened to lust?
It takes time to build a foundation of love, one that is only made over time, over interaction, over emotional attachment. This is never built over sex- never, ever. If you believe this phony bullshit, you’re probably addicted to the high of ‘new love’, or as it’s better known, infatuation.
9 times out of 10, this occurs. I realize in order to properly show the time it takes to develop a real relationship, the readers would be bored out of their skulls. But to ‘tell’ me versus ‘show’ me WHY they fit as a couple, is taking the easy way out, and a detriment to your story. Lastly, not everything has to be about sappy romance or hot sex.
No, it doesn’t.
Because if all you have is sappy romance and hot sex without any real story behind it, then it’s forgettable and a dime-a-dozen, and personally, the sex is just flat.
I expect certain things out of a book. In YA or NA, I expect the girls to do something stupid, since they are, in essence, children. They are without the experience of life, the growth to make sound decisions. But in those novels, the females act older, wiser. They save the world in Fantasy and Dystopian novels, or live on their own while their wayward parents are off living their life somewhere else, acting criminally for leaving their underaged children alone for long periods of time.
I found the missing and idiotic parents to our YA heroines and heroes in Contemporary romance/erotica novels. In today’s contemporary romance and erotica genres, you have 25+ year old females acting the way those in the YA & NA should have been behaving. How do you explain this shift? Why do our younger readers get strong role models and our adult readers get “Too Stupid to Live” females who give all women a bad name?
One book that will forever stick in my mind, a female doctor, highly intelligent, acting like a twelve-year-old in heat, pranking hospital faculty. They took an oath to save lives, and the author is making light of this highly intelligent character with slap-stick, over-the-top bullshit for the sake of comedy. For me, it’s not funny if you’re trying too hard. It’s just freakin’ annoying.
Next up, the hotter than blazes Mary Jane. MJ’s internal monologue is something like this, “Woe-is-me.” “I’m 35 and no one wants me.” “I’m shy and quiet, and my last boyfriend was mean to me.” “I don’t trust men.” The author usually writes one, more often two or three, hot guys sniffing at MJ’s tail. & in their POV, they find MJ the most gorgeous creature, engrossing in conversation, and completely sounding like MJ in their minds. Add, “I’m fat.” “I’m ugly.” “I’m boring.” Yet these women are goddesses in the hotties’ eyes.
I get the realism of using everyday women, and the fantasy of being wanted by 5 hot rockers or billionaires, or what have you, but it’s an insult to my intelligence… and freakin’ annoying to boot.
Next up, these Gods among men, who are starve-gutted for plain Mary Jane, mysteriously sound, act, and react like a woman… or a douchebag. Never an in between. Then douchebag gets pussy-whipped by MJ, and then his internal monologue becomes just as hers. Without fail.
If I’m reading a male’s POV, I expect him to act, react, and sound like a dude from page one to ‘the end’. A guy in love is still a guy, not a girl who is wielding a penis aimed at our damsel-in-distress. If the girl can’t save herself, her male clone shouldn’t be able to save her, either. Right?
Candy at the Van Predators versus Streetwise, Badassed Bitches.
As I said, these intelligent, streetwise, or take-no-prisoners women always have a baggage-filled backstory (which I love, and I always wish the authors would write that instead of the fluff-filled romance piece they publish). Today’s woman slept in a shelter with a knife in her hand to save her pitiful belongings. She’s on the run from an abusive ex. Meets a guy by happenchance (always is the case, right? Gotta love fate!), and trusts this new stranger infallibly. Character trait lobotomy, anyone? This is without fail, always, and was so difficult to swallow that I was furious.
So then the dude starts in on possessive shit, and she shrugs it off, ‘cuz you know, it’s NOT like she doesn’t recognize the signs after being abused. He’s hot. *shrugs* He wants her mousy ass. *shrugs* I’m sure he’s a good guy, even if he’s telling her what to do after a handful of words, and now looking, touching, and breathing on her in a way that makes her girly parts tingly. *tingling so intensely I wonder if she has feminine itch*
It’s been 12 hours, in which she lost a job, gained a job, cried, gained an apartment and money, did all the necessary body functions, spoke less than 100 words to this dude (none of them of any real substance) but has looked at, and been looked at by, this insanely HOT dude, so all her reasoning skills and intelligence just flee her mind to pool at her itching stranger-danger zones. She’s been super busy, dang it! I’m exhausted for her just by writing the sequence of events out. (I know I can’t get THAT much done in 12 hours- oh, she slept too!) (She puts the Super in “HERO”ine) She’s spent maybe an hour in this dude’s presence, but now she thinks she loves him, and his POV is thinking the same about her, too…
Awww… how sweet, and toe-curling, and sexy… I hope they make cute babies on their first time, because that’s the rational thing to do.
Are you freakin’ kidding me? Seriously?
(I’m not making fun of just this book, since the 7 I tried to read in the past 24-hours have followed this same formula)
I’m not a feminist, but this pisses me off. & more often than not, all women are depicted as dumbassed bitches while spouting how intelligent, streetwise, and gun-shy they are. Trust? What’s that? It’s called following strangers around, and then letting them touch the places your parents warned you about without having something called a conversation first. *growls in fury*
But it’s love at first sight, right?
No, sweetie, it’s a thing called lust.
How about the author creates some sexual tension by NOT having the characters have sex and fall in love in the beginning of the book (both of which spells out ‘THE END’ for me) Build to the moment without giving into instant gratification and ploys. If you wrote a douchebag, have him douchebag it up for ½ of the book (love/hate, sexual frustration and tension) with a ¼ for redemption, and the last ¼ for ‘THE END’.
Don’t give me the meat before you even scoop the serving of potatoes on my plate, after completely bypassing the salad. We are a generation of dessert eaters when I still want to digest the whole, entire meal.
Book after book, after book, after book, after book, in an endless stream of sameness- a sameness I cannot stand.
I understand there is a guideline to each genre, a formula to follow, but c’mon! Don’t ruin your well-thought-out story by following the herd. The incredible story you briefly mentioned, as a way to introduce your character so she could get acquainted with the nearest mattress, IS the story you should be telling. Not some mediocre, dime-a-dozen, formulaic clone of all the rest.
Entertain me.
I read like an editor, and I’m not speaking of grammar rules, even though we all break them. I read a book like an editor, reading it in a way to FIX it, develop it into something more. It’s this quest that has me looking at my books with clear eyes, longing to better them for the reader. A quest I will soon be embarking upon for the Mistress & Master of Restraint Series. I don’t follow the herd. I don’t write for my readers. I challenge myself to write a better book than my last, to remove the ‘character lobotomies’ from the storyline, to write with true substance, to evolve the chemistry, the lust, the intensity of the characters’ romance.
I keep trying to read, trying to finally reach that intoxicating feeling where if disturbed I’d knife the asshole who broke me from the story… but I can’t find that plane of existence any longer.
I need more, and dear Author, I want YOU to give it to me!
Erica Chilson’s RAGE AGAINST PIRATES SELLING HER DAMN WORK!
I knew from day-one that my titles would be pirated eventually, and they have been since early on. I was passive about piracy, knowing it impacted my sales yet hoping it would draw in true readers. I likened the piracy to a twisted library of sorts. I purposefully left off the DRM from the first few titles in my series, and then put a DRM on the later titles. My stance, “Here, have a copy. I hope you get hooked, and then pay for the rest.”
With that saying, I know from reviews on whether or not it’s a pirated copy. As I said, I was pirated from early on with Restraint, and that Restraint no longer exists. I don’t even have a copy. Yet two years and some change later, readers are still reading, judging, and reviewing me based on the edition of a book that sold fewer than an hundred copies… so what are the odds you purchased the ‘extinct‘ Restraint and it took you 30 months to review it? I’m no statistician, but I’d say the odds are next to none, considering the tens of thousands it’s sold in its current form.
My warning to pirates: You may not be reading the book in its actual form, and when you review it as such, you are caught. But not only that, you are missing out on what the book evolved into, ruining and confusing you when you read the subsequent books in the series. & that is a pity and a shame for the reader, the author, and most importantly, for the purity of the story itself.
Why am I writing this blog posting? Several times over I’ve been contacted about my books not only being pirated, BUT SOLD. Yes, SOLD by PIRATES.
If you want to read my book for free, then by all means, get it from a piracy site. I’m not being facetious. I’d rather you get it for free than pay your hard-earned money to my pirate. But if you pay that fuckerfucking pirate, damn you to HELL!
The authors listed on this site CREATED THE STORY FROM NOTHING. WE SPENT THOUSANDS OF HOURS PLOTTING, WRITING, EDITING, DELETING, EDITING, WRITING, POURING OUR SOULS OUT ON THOSE PAGES, LISTENING TO CRITIQUES FROM BACKSEAT EDITORS, READING BULLYING REVIEWS, GETTING SHIT FROM READERS WHO LOATHED THIS OR THAT. WE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE PAID, NOT SOME BASTARD, ASSHOLE OF A PIRATE!
If you want my book for free, fucking contact me and I will send one to your Kindle. But to pay the pirate for OUR HARD WORK, MAKES YOU AN EVEN BIGGER ASSHOLE!
I work no less than 12 hours a day to earn 30 cents on the buck, to where I then pay the government a third of that. As an indie author, I then make 20 cents on every dollar I sell, but out of that I have to pay for business expenses: laptops, software, cover images, cover artists, (I’d pay an editor, IF I COULD AFFORD IT). WHO THE FUCK COULD LIVE OFF THAT? & I LITERALLY WRITE ENDLESSLY, AS YOU ALL KNOW, JUDGING BY THE 1,500+ PAGES I’VE PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2014
To have my work not only stolen but resold… you have no idea how disheartening of a sensation this is, or how much fury is coursing in my veins. BECAUSE I’M FOLLOWING THE FUCKING RULES, THE LAW, PAYING TAXES ON MY WORK, AND THEY ARE NOT!
FYI: Plead ignorance all ya want, but if you are ‘purchasing’ from a dealer no one has ever heard of, you know what’s up. If you are a reader, you know who the major retailers are, or you buy straight from the publisher. If it looks hinky, it is.
FYI: NEVER HAVE I EVER published a PDF of my work. If the copy you are reading is a PDF, it wasn’t from me!
FYI: I lowered the price on Restraint to 99 cents for this exact reason. Now I’m under-bidding my pirate selling asshole friends who are bilking the ignorant and the criminal out of $1.50 a copy.
FYI: I’ve given tens of thousands of copies of Restraint and Good Girl away for free, and will continue to do so along with my ‘honest’ pirate friends. If you’re the honest sort, you’ll be out 99 cents for 700 HUNDRED PAGES of my hard work. You can either get it for free during Amazon promos or from a pirate, pay ME FOR MY HARD WORK, OR pay some asshole pirate who is laughing at you all the way to the bank.
Now if this just doesn’t make a person want to say the hell with it all, and cut their losses, I don’t know what does! It’s a spit in the face. I feel like I’m in an uphill battle against an unmovable army. I’m selling more books than ever and only getting paid half of that because I’m literally giving my books away for Free.
I want to know your reaction when you go into work tomorrow morning and your boss tells you how you have to work the next six months of your life, an upwards of eighteen hours a day, and NOT get PAID! You could live on that, right? You could deal with that, right? How about then your boss takes your earnings and gives it to some asshole criminal- all of it. And then your boss makes YOU pay the taxable income on what that asshole stole. Yeah, chew that over.
-peace out!
WIDOW cover/blurb reveal signup
Exciting news! Angela over at Wicked Reads was kind enough to extend her time and energy on helping us promote Widow. The first step is with a Cover/Blurb reveal signup. If you run a blog/group/page, and would like to join us, please click the link below to fill out the form. Shortly, signup for the Widow Blog Tour will begin, with ARC copies of both Good Girl & Widow for your blog/group/page’s reviewing pleasure. Stay tuned! & thank you!
***Click HERE to signup**
UPDATED EDITIONS: Tab Added
This posting is a notice that the UPDATED EDITIONS Tab was added to the top of Erica Chilson’s webpage for the readers’ convenience. Listed below is the contents of the tab, but at any time it can be accessed via the website.
Erica Chilson’s titles are updated periodically. Some are major changes, which are listed on this website. Others are just editing issues being resolved. While Erica Chilson places requests with Amazon to auto-update the titles, it doesn’t necessarily mean they update. This is both frustrating for the reader and the author. If you are unsure if you have the most recent edition of Erica Chilson’s titles, you have 2 options for recourse.
Do not delete the title from your Amazon Library and rebuy, this will not update to the current edition. Many have tried this approach, and received the same exact copy again. It’s in Amazon’s system which edition you own, and you will keep getting it back like a thrown boomerang.
Option 1: contact Amazon directly to manually update the title. Below will be a step-by-step guide in doing so, using Good Girl as an example.
Option 2: Proof of purchase. Take a screenshot of the title, either on your kindle or the receipt of purchase. Erica Chilson will send you the most recent copy of the title, directly to your Kindle.
Step 1: add wickedwriter.ericachilson@gmail.com to your approved email sender list on the Amazon website, under ‘Manage content & devices‘ ‘Personal document settings‘
Step 2: send Erica Chilson the proof of purchase along with your Kindle email address to wickedwriter.ericachilson@gmail.com. Your Kindle address will look something like this –>(naughtyreader@kindle.com)
Step 3: You will receive a confirmation email from Erica Chilson that the title was sent to your Kindle. Please check your Kindle to see if the download arrived. Allow some time if it doesn’t appear right away. (Remember to archive the outdated copy so you don’t mistakenly read it instead of the updated version, as the new copy will not overlap your old copy. In other words, you will have 2 separate copies on your Kindle)
Option 1, step-by-step guide: (Via Angela, during her Good Girl manual update via Amazon chat)
OK Everyone, here is the tutorial. It took me longer to write it up than it did to actually do the steps.
How to get Amazon to Push a Revised Edition of a book to your Kindle via Chat
1. Delete Good Girl from your Kindle device. Do NOT delete it from your Kindle Library.
2. Go to Manage Your Kindle (Link on Your Account drop down menu)
3. Allow Your Kindle Library to load for a minute and then type in “Good Girl” in the Search your library box.
a. “Good Girl (Blended) – Chilson, Erica” should appear in the drop down menu & click on it.
b. Right Click on the Order Details link & Open in a New Window or Tab
c. Go back to the Your Kindle Library page and move your mouse to hover over the Kindle Help link (located on the upper right side of the page below your Wish List tab).
d. Click on the Contact Us link. This should take you to the Help & Customer Service for Kindle page.
e. On the left side of that page, there is a Quick Solutions menu. Click on the Contact Us button. (You may be prompted to log into your account again.)
4. On the Contact Us Page,
a. Section 1 should have the Kindle tab active, so chose your Kindle Device.
b. Section 2, make the following selections:
i. Select an issue: My Kindle Books & Periodicals
ii. Select issue details: Managing/transferring content
iii. Select additional details: Using Archived Items
iv. Ignore the Did You Know? Section that pops up.
c. Section 3, Click on the “Start Chatting” Tab
5. When the Chat Window pops up and prompts you to explain your issue, enter the following info.
a. Hi, I need the revised edition of Good Girl by Erica Chilson pushed to my Kindle Account. Here is the corresponding Digital Order Summary #D01-5255260-6444807. I have deleted the previous version from Angela’s 2nd FIRE.
b. Be sure to change the Digital Order # to your order number (which can be found in the other open window or tab from step 2b) and your Kindle’s Nickname.
6. You should be connected with a Kindle Customer Service Rep rather quickly who can help you out.
a. Warning: I have on one occasion gotten a CS rep who did NOT know what he was doing. If the CS rep asks you to delete the book from your Kindle Library, tell him/her NO, that you need the revised edition pushed to your Kindle and ask for a different rep if necessary.
b. Be sure to open the newly arrived copy of Good Girl and make sure the header at the top of the page reads GOOD GIRL (BLENDED) before you end your chat.
The Wicked Deviants Probe Erica Chilson
I was probed by my Wicked Deviants. If you’d like to know how I responded, please read.
Addiction
I thought I would get this out there to those who have criticized my use of addiction in Good Girl. First and foremost: addiction is an issue that plagues every family- it taints and destroys lives. Since the Blended series for me is my first venture from anti-reality into reality, I thought it best to deal with everyday issues that affect us all. If this isn’t your type of read… Don’t read it. I’m not forcing my stories on anyone. Same as I don’t force my cerebral f*ck known as the M&M series on anyone, either. My stories are NOT for everyone, and I’m okay with that…
Secondly: as whether or not it is possible to become addicted to marijuana(most seem to forget that Willow is dealing with an alcohol addiction as we debate over whether or not you can be addicted to pot, and no one on the planet will say alcohol is not addictive. So I’m sorry if Willow is having a craving. *shrugs*).
Any substance, any action, anything is addictive. Chemical dependency and coping mechanisms through repetitive action. Is it repetitive? Is it a chemical? If the answer is yes, then yes, you can become addicted.
A few of my betas commented on this, whether or not Pot could be addictive. While the main character is struggling with drug and alcohol use, Willow is NOT the source of the addiction in the blended family.
I will stress this: if you can get addicted to food, sex, hugging your teddy bear, washing your hands, Chap-stick, your morning cup of coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, why can’t you become addicted to pot? It’s a substance. It’s something someone takes as not only a coping mechanism but as a drug. Marijuana is called a DRUG, correct? Did I miss that somewhere? I guess the newest legislation spouting how Pot is not addictive and only a gateway is probably to blame. But since alcohol addiction runs rampant, lung cancer is at a all-time high from cigarette smoke, and both are legal….
Ask me about the mother of headache I get without my Diet Coke, and then tell me that my character cannot be addicted to a substance she used several times per day for 6 years. If you removed one thing from your routine that you have performed for nearly a decade, how off would you feel? Now add the fact that the chemicals have altered your body’s chemistry….
I have no idea if these comments stem from people who smoke weed and feel as if I am judging. I am not. It is personal responsibility on your end whether or not you want to imbibe. Recreational use is not the abuse I was showing with Willow- so if you take offense…. I’m sure I pissed off some heroin users later on in the book, too. The Blended series is about a family coming together to overcome the issues within their family, drug addiction just happens to be one of them. My largest goal was to show that enablers were just as at fault as the drug abuser. Note the use of Abuser versus User- yes, there is a difference between use and abuse. Ask someone addicted to food about overeating versus someone eating as fuel. I also have no idea if these comments are coming from someone who has never been around drugs, either. But to say you cannot get addicted to pot is like saying you can’t get addicted to anything else either.
Excuse me while I refill my glass of Diet Coke. I mustn’t have a headache. And later, I will count while I do everything I do during the day or risk an anxiety attack. But then again, I guess I will allow someone else to tell me if that is a problem or not.
DO NOT DISTURB
For those of you who are curious about my newest cover photo: Please continue to post in M&M, email me, msg me, tag me, comment to me. The only thing is, do not get offended if I don’t reply.
~Please, play amongst yourselves~
It is not without difficulty to maintain a story playing within your mind when ppl are speaking to you in many forms, making demands, and throwing you off your game. Imagine having no less than a thousands words in your mind, all of which need cultivated (put to paper in some semblance of a story), especially dialogue.
Do this exercise: think up a phrase that has more than 20 words. Wait 20 minutes while doing a bunch of shit, whatever… get distracted all to hell… Now, I want you to repeat those 20 words back, verbatim. Ah, shit! You messed up, didn’t you? Unnerving as all hell, isn’t it? Frustrating, too? Perhaps, murderous? Sad that that great line of dialogue is forever lost all because someone wanted to discuss political views or ask what’s for dinner. Lost and forgotten because someone had something that couldn’t wait… five f’n minutes. Now imagine those 20 words are thousands… see my point?
I love the posts, the comments, the msgs, and emails. What I don’t love is the pressure to answer them in a timely manner… or at all. I’ve been writing emotionally taxing scenes today, so if a lighthearted post appears, I’m gonna play. If I were writing romance or snark and someone posted something dark and depressive, I’d avoid it like the plague. Like an actor, I have to stay in character. Unlike an actor, I’m playing every part in the movie… while writing the f’n movie… and directing the movie… and marketing the movie… and producing the movie. .. and showing the movie.
Stressed? *points at self* Me? Nope!
Writing is everything to me: self-expression, release, an outlet to my soul. It is also my profession. So when I’m bothered and do not reply, don’t get upset with me. Writing is my job. My laptop is my office. The internet is my network, my research- I can’t NOT log in, but I can NOT respond. My point, if I worked an office job and dozens of ppl came in and asked if I had a minute, a minute that always turns into hours, I’d get fired. I don’t care what the profession is, that is disrespectful.
I worry that I’ll look like a bitch if I say I need space. I feel like a horrible person if I say no. I feel like I’m being disrespectful. It’s a lot of pressure. But in a way, the disrespect is flowing from the other side. I have every right to work in peace, especially when my job demands complete and total concentration. I refuse to feel guilty anymore.
Case in point, I’ve lost about two hours to playing with an image, writing a blog posting, and apologizing for being not-so nice. Two hours I can’t get back. But it was two hours I didn’t do something for someone else, either, so that puts it in the win category. Willow is very upset with me right now. I left her mid-scene. That is disrespect… to my story, my character, and myself. I owe myself more than that. It’s more important than whatever small request, dig, opinion, question, insult, or rambling that bothered me in the first place.
& a little bit of unknown information: this post isn’t written in a negative connotation. I’m actually in a good mood, which is a surprise 😀 & by that I mean I’m usually a stoic mofo, so happy is… a strange place for Erica to be, now isn’t it?
No, this post is not directed at any one person. The past few days it’s been obvious to me that I need to set some boundaries. So please, continue to interact with me and amongst yourselves(it makes me happy when you all get along- warms the cockles of my heart, it does), just don’t expect me to reply until I’m able. & if I reply to someone and not you, it’s not about you, okay? I’m being selfish, so it’s 100% all on me. I still like you: find you cute and funny. Maybe it’s something that’s stressing me out and I fear it will upset the muse. I don’t know; we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
REMINDER: I like my friends, my follower, my readers. You all provide me with inspiration and entertainment. But Erica is the world’s largest introvert. She lives in a bubble of her own creation. She gets spazzy when someone tries to pop her bubble.
~Don’t Pop Erica’s Bubble~
Email Change
Yahoo Mail (for me and countless others) has been down for almost 3 days, meaning I haven’t received any incoming mail and have absolutely no access to my contacts list or saved emails. This has been a hassle for me to say the least. I have no idea when this issue will be resolved, and while Yahoo fixes their sh*t, I can’t wait for them nor can I trust them in the future.
Today I’ve went about the arduous task of creating another email address, going to countless sites (I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few), creating new log-in & account information.
This creates many problems for me since thewickedwriter@yahoo.com is listed in the 13 books I’ve published and in countless blog postings, two websites, and on many pages and groups I run. I will slowly change this as I come upon the publication/site/page.
Any and all correspondence for me is through email since it would be an all day job keeping up with Goodreads/Twitter/Facebook(personal/page/group) msgs, and since I no longer get notifications sent via email (laughs in disgust) I will have no idea if you’ve approached me on those sites. I prefer everything dropped into one handy location that I check a few times per hour.
If I’ve corresponded with you via email, I’ve lost those msgs as well as your contact information. If you wish to be in my contact list, you’ll have to send me an email with your information again. My apologies.
Erica Chilson’s new email: wickedwriter.ericachilson@gmail.com
I thank you for your understanding.
HELP WANTED
**HELP WANTED**
I am looking for 4 people (current betas, readers, or new readers) to read Good Girl to pick up whatever I may have missed the other few rounds. I need someone who has a general grasp of grammar rules and is well-read, and they must know how to use Microsoft Word or a compatible program.
This is a short-notice read-thru. Copies will be sent before early evening (today, Tues Nov. 19th) with the read-thru ending Sunday Nov. 24th at 11 am est. It’s a short time frame to read a 400+ page book/300 page manuscript. I apologize for the rush, so those who cannot work within this time frame need not apply. I work at turbo speed- just can’t help it. But there is a method to my madness.
What I am looking for: grammar/spelling/punctuation mistakes. Story flow. Contradictions. Characters acting out of ‘character’. General comments and critiques. The errors should already be at a minimum after the 2 beta reads, 5 read-thru, and July’s rewrite. Manuscript will have ‘track changes’ enabled, (ease for me and you, since you can type over the error) but make sure your errors HIGHLIGHT or I will not be able to locate them, causing frustration for both you and me (makes the process unsuccessful and a waste of both of our times) you will be able to comment directly on the manuscript.
Restraint & Good Girl will be offered for free promotion starting Wednesday Nov. 27th, so I need time to read-thru the manuscript and upload the changes to Amazon(hence the rush). Good Girl will be reformatted with its genre changed. It will get a complete overhaul sometime in the beginning of the New Year when it is published in paper.
This morning I am working on formatting issues: page breaks, indention, and the title list. Manuscript should be ready by early evening, giving me time to work on the formatting and pick a few people to help.
WIP Note: I read-thru the 200 pages of Hero, made notes, tweaked the outline, and made a list of research. Now the story has to marinate. Since Integrated was the ultimate in endings, answering most questions, I feel comfortable abandoning M&M for a few months to work on the Playroom Series.
The Playroom series will get a new series title. Since I am placing it in the Contemporary Romance & Erotic Romance categories, I feel the need to change it from the Playroom. While the playroom is a major part of the series, it isn’t the series’ premise. I’m playing around with a few titles, with ‘Blended Family’ leading the race. Every book will surround the Widow/Widower’s families: Prynne/Webster & the Masons.
…and yes, see what a reading jag spawns? When I take a step back and reevaluate my WIP, all hell breaks loose. I change shit up- major shit. It happened to Integrated, almost doubling the size of the book. So I learned my lesson, never rush, take a breather, and regroup!
So… who wants to help? & who has a suggestion on the series title? *Dangles monetary incentives*
There are two ways to interact with me: via email: thewickedwriter@yahoo.com & The M&M of Restraint closed group on FB (click to visit) I may or may not get notifications/messages on Facebook (personal & fan pages & groups), Goodreads, WordPress. or Twitter. With so many places to contact someone, I get spread thin checking all the various sites, so I don’t unless I get an email notification. I check my email every half hour and I am glued to the FB group, so you can find me there.
All inquiries for the Good Girl read-thru must be sent via email: thewickedwriter@yahoo.com with the subject line of GOOD GIRL, & I will notify you if you have been chosen to help. I will send out a mass email to those who were not able to help this time around and place you on a list for future use. I thank all for the help. & I would appreciate it if any of you have a Series name suggestions. I’ll send out a $5 Amazon gift card to the reader whose suggestion is chosen: deadline also Sunday morning, November 24th.
Thanks & Happy Wicked Reading!
Erica Chilson
M&M of Restraint
& Playroom series
~Happy Wicked Reading~
Vacation
First: Happy to announce that Integrated is currently processing for publication on B&N & Amazon.
Here are the details:
Nook: 497 pages (don’t quote me on it. They don’t give me a preview copy anymore)
Kindle: 8331 locations (Go ahead & quote me. I’m looking at it right now. *evil grin*) My greedy little hands have it loaded on my Paperwhite. Not that I want to read a single word of Integrated after reading it at least 10 times over 😉
140,000+ words in Ezra’s voice.
55 Chapters, Family Trees, an epilogue, and a music playlist.
Price: $4.99
Available: It’s Amazon and B&N, so it could be two hours or… weeks *shudders at the thought* I’ve had issues with both Jaded and Faithless, so I’m a bit Jaded (pun intended) on the whole process. I try not to get my hopes up until I see the status change from In Review to Publishing. I’ll blast the hell outta the link when it goes live.
I need to find a balance. I’ve been teetering on a precipice for a while now. My left eye says that if I don’t give it a break soon, it’s gonna pop outta my skull from the strain. So last year (April 2012-2013, Restraint’s 1st year) I published 10 books. I’ve felt like I’ve been treading water ever since. Like I’m not doing enough. Dumb-assed me seemed to forget the finer details, like word count, or the fact that I literally work 18+ hours per day, every day.
I was getting antsy, like I didn’t write as much this year as last, book release wise. But then I have to remember that Faithless was nearly 400,000 words in length, almost the length of all the previous books combined.
Growth: Integrated is almost the length of Dexter + Dalton + Jaded…. combined. Obviously when I get back to them for their rewrite into Print, they will be expanded and lengthened. But it just goes to show what writing a million words in less than a year will do for your growth within your craft. Whether deleted or not, every word is practice. 😀 Practice. Practice. Practice.
When I came to the conclusion that I’d written enough, I decided to take a vacation. I’ll get to Hero when the muse is riding my ass, but until then… I’m giving my eyes a break. Hero is currently sitting at 70K, about 1/2 finished.
Totals for the year thus far (Jan-Nov 1st 2013)
863,000 published words.
1,035,000 written words.
I think I’ve earned a vacation, don’t you?
I love that my readers are clamoring for more; it inspires me. Please, please, please, I beg of you, allow me to take a vacation for the holidays. I will still be writing, doing giveaways, and promotions, but sometimes the pressure gets to me. Take Integrated for instance. I wrote it 4 times over. Each time I added and subtracted things. If I’d rushed and published it when I thought it was ready the first few times, it wouldn’t be the book it is this evening. While I have a strict outline, and my characters must adhere to the premise and traits I’ve created, sometimes I need to let the story marinate- evolve. Integrated evolved for me, so I’m going to use this as a life lesson and never rush a book again, even if it disappoints my readers. If you read the above wordcount, you realize that I do not write a book a year and leave you hanging.
So just cut me some slack, pretty please with whips and chains and no ball gags.
It is very stressful when within a day of publishing my newest book I’m asked when the next is to be released. I love that readers want more story, but I just worked for the past three weeks straight- sometimes 20 hours a day, eyes glued to my laptop, tediously reading it word-for-word, rewriting it word-for-word. I have 5 books in different stages of writing: my eyes, my brain, and my emotions need a break.
I’m not writing easy topics. If you don’t cry at least 5 times while reading Integrated, then I failed you as an author… or your emotions are made of titanium. Now imagine me writing this story. As the reader, if you cried even once, how do you think I felt as I created the story?
Emotionally draining doesn’t cover it.
By the way… I’m a twisted bitch, so every time I read the final paragraph of Integrated, my mind supplies an alternative ending, which makes me sick to my stomach. Every. Single. Time… without fail. I’d tell ya what, but my readers would stalk to tar and feather me. I’m NOT going to actually do it. *evil laughter* *makes an explosion noise with hand gestures* *trailing more evil laughter*
I will tell you just how dedicated I am. Last Halloween I wore a size 18/20. This Halloween I wear a size 10. Yes, I’ve been eating healthier (sort of) But it’s because I work constantly. I’ve been up for twelve hours and I just now realized I’ve yet to eat today. This is also why I don’t live alone. I eat when they eat.
Bad, Erica!
Please, blow up my fan page & The M&M Of Restraint Private group on Facebook after you’ve read Integrated. It’s Ezra’s ending- true ending. I am curious to your reactions. Just don’t ask about Hero yet. I’m a vocal girl; I’ll let ya know when I know 😉
Stay tuned for promotions, sales, freebies, and giveaways for the Holidays!
I’m off to enjoy some Farmville 2, watch back episodes on my DVR, read on my Kindle, and grab some grub! I have an unopened supply of Birthday Cake Oreos and some milk that was my Integrated reward… and truffles, mustn’t forget the truffles!
Positive thoughts on Integrated’s publication status.
Everything Integrated: Cover Reveal, Blurb, & Chapter 1!
Mistress & Master of Restraint, #11, Integrated: Ezra Holden Zeitler’s story.
I embark on a journey of self-realization, redemption, and forgiving oneself…
I’ve struggled since I was thirteen years old to keep myself even. I lost my innocence when I fractured. The childlike part of me was tainted while the dominant part of me overpowered my mind. I’ve lived in a constant state of tug-of-war.
Some call me Master Ez, Dr. Lunatic, Son, Elder Holden, Dad, or husband. Until I integrated I couldn’t simply be called Ezra.
Everyone struggles throughout life. I would know since I counsel a large majority. Imagine a life filled with financial, familial, and romantic problems, but compound that by fighting one’s own mind. Imagine having two halves dueling for control of your mind as you try to merge them into one, to give yourself peace. Mental illness makes the mundane seem trivial, doesn’t it?
With great wealth comes an ease of freedom of choice but an even larger responsibility. I am responsible for all those around me: their happiness, their safety… their torment and punishment and ruination.
Integrated, I finally recognize all the evil deeds I’ve committed in the name of my alters. I must come to terms with my actions, and for the first time ever, I need to accept the responsibility and the consequences.
I’ve set my path of redemption. I’ve asked for forgiveness, and I cannot demand that my victims pardon me. Out of my control, their thoughts on my character are their own… now, a much more difficult task lies ahead… forgiving oneself.
As if a newborn, raw and exposed, wounded and fragile, I must learn who this integrated person is that I don’t truly recognize. The last time I was whole was twenty years ago. I was a child, and now I am a man.
You must learn to walk before you run… I must ask for forgiveness before I can forgive myself… and hopefully, I can learn who I was meant to be along the way.
Integrated
–Chapter One–
Fog, wavering in a fog of self-creation. My mind’s way of protecting oneself from the guilt and shame. I know I’ve done something I will regret this evening as surely as I know I breathe. My body is sexually sated while my mind screams in torment. I realize both halves of the whole betrayed me on a primal level.
Both wanted what I had never planned to give… and the guilt is suffocating. It is a rape, a rape of oneself. When one half, or both halves, take dominion over your body to do as they will, it is the highest violation.
Already sensing something major was happening within my personal life, my mind fractured. One half took care of me while the other half laid in wait. Working in conjunction, they betrayed me- I betrayed myself.
I never planned on going through with my scheme with Daniel and Dalton. It was always a means to an end- an end where the boys lived a happily ever after, far removed from the fear, guilt, shame, and remorse over their sexuality. I simply wanted them to know they were better than they were behaving- to know they were worth more than waffling in self-doubt.
I never planned on being with them- fucking them- being fucked by them.
With a desperation borderlining on madness, I hunger with a desire so fierce that I’m on the edge of starvation- I must see Cortez. I must get to the meeting. No doubt he knows of my nightly activities, and no doubt he will surely leave me now.
While I’m always on the edge of madness, Cortez is always on the edge of flight. More so now than ever. I can feel it roiling in my blood, Cort’s behavior is not his norm- something is driving him away. He freely gives me unlimited access to his body but his emotions are closed off. It has always been the other way around.
I never feared losing Cortez, even when he denied me his body. His emotions were always an open book. Even when screaming I hate you, Cortez’s face was filled with love. Even when professing love, Cortez’s face was filled with hurt. One constant- the love was ever present.
Lately, Cortez has been suppressing the love while reveling in the lust. Fear has me forcing my companions to hurry, unsure what Master Ez said or did that put the tortured expression on Daniel’s handsome face.
This is what I hate. I hate that I have to ask myself what I did as if having a conversation about a separate entity. But it is ME who had upset Daniel. The discombobulating sensation is more than I can bare. If I didn’t have people counting on me, I’d have ended my confused existence by now.
My skin flushes pink, a mix of lust and embarrassment as I enter Misery Castle’s opulence. As if waiting for the perfect opportunity to ruin me, my halves waited until I arrived to the Christmas meeting to show me the hedonism I’d engaged in this evening with Daniel and Dalton. Ezra gleefully flashes sights, sounds, tastes, and scents into my mind. A kaleidoscope of lust-filled passions. This is how it’s always been. Ezra is gloating, bloated, fat and sated over this evening’s events. Ezra loves to be naughty and never tells me what I did until well after Cortez has received the punishment. In this instance, the punishment and the crime fall upon myself, so he, me, shows me what I’ve done.
Rosy pink flesh, striated with lean muscles, glistens with sweat. Pale, translucent skin filled with good health thrusts deep within me. A fingertip trails down a tattoo, its owner proudly professing that one of the Kings decorating the decedent landscape of his side represents me. Green eyes, blue eyes, green eyes, blue eyes flick like images being shot with the rapid flash of a camera shutter- an unearthly color and a color so deep that every sea envies the shade.
The sights put the pink high in my cheeks. But the melodious sounds- a composition of lust played by the greatest orchestras in the world fill my mind, causing my skin to tighten and burn with embarrassed arousal. The keen of two very satisfied young men in their early twenties without a lick of hair on them- boys that were almost untried- innocent- jaded by my knowledge. Ezra, I, had drank them deep, consumed them, and turned them into men.
My alters worked in communion with one another on the pair of young men: Ezra for the pleasure of flesh and Master Ez for the pleasure of the cerebral fuck.
I am not proud that I partook, but proud of the way Daniel and Dalton owned their true nature, reveled in the pleasure of being one’s true self. Never again will they deny their need for one another- they will never take the wrong path and fall off course.
The last thing I remember this evening- I, me, Ez, as I refuse to think of myself as Ezra or Master Ez. The last thing I remember as a whole being, not figments being flashed by a spiteful child or apologetic images being poured into my memories like glacial waters by an ethical tyrant.
The last thing I remember is Katya.
Our full-to-bursting household had just finished the Misery Castle Christmas dinner from Hell. All of us knowing, but not truly knowing what was to come upon midnight. We were antsy, predatory- anticipatory. A skittish Cortez wanted more time with the children, and the second he was out of earshot, Katya demanded my entire attention- and then it’s blank, save the flashes from my separate halves.
I see Katya at Restraint through a blurry haze from Ezra’s memories. This is the perplexing facet of my being. I focus on what I fail to remember, the dark void of utter blankness, and one or the other always mentally answers my unasked question. They pour difficult truths within my fractured mind. But what they show is never truth- it is filtered by their intentions, their protections- their perceptions.
This is the mind of madness.
As I enter Whittenhower Estate’s Grand Ballroom, my eyes instantly seek and find Cortez. My gaze connecting with my twin gaze. I relax. I blush. I feel guilt. I feel love. I toss Cortez a wary smile and wink. My heart ceases to thud when Cortez blushes and smiles in return.
He’s not mad at me, and he most definitely knows what I’ve done against my will. Pupils dilated, eclipsing the storm raging within his eyes, Cortez heatedly looks at me. A look I welcome. A look that beads my body with sweat and causes my cock to pulse like nothing ever could. I know in an instant that Cortez is not fleeing me because he’s already imagining remarking his territory with his body, with his lust, with his love. And I gladly await the exquisite torture.
I hear commotions around me. Shouts that one of my alters most definitely perpetrated. I take ownership for my unknown actions, but I don’t give it a second thought. It’s not arrogance or lack of empathy that has me not caring that the youngest Daniel and his pregnant female’s lives just smoldered into ash. I feel for the young couple on the deepest of levels. My lack of attention is due to my utter shock.
I’m captured within in their tightly wound familial web. My son and daughter. Brother and sister, eyes nearly the same but not quite. The male version is steely, just as Cort’s and mine, as is my dead aunt’s and my bastardized father’s gaze. The feminine version is softer yet colder, bluer- as with my living aunt, mother, and female cousin. The son carries the tainted Hunter genes, while the daughter, no less or more tainted, carries the Holden genes. My children are like Ezra and Master Ez, halves of my whole. Side-by-side, my child half, the Holden, Ava, sits by my stronger half, the Hunter, Zane.
Zane and Ava, united for the very first time, heal me, change me, unite me.
Cortez pumps the very blood through my veins, for he is my beating heart. Cortez’s life sustains my own. For if he breathes, I refuse to die. But that has never been enough to keep me even, balanced- whole. My children, my halves, they integrate me.
Integrated.
I sit down, noticing nothing but my son and daughter and Cortez’s gaze holding mine. On my left, I reach a hand out until a small, fragile, delicate and pink hand fills mine. I simultaneously do the same on my right with a hand identical to my own, only younger.
I hold my children’s hands and my partner’s eyes, and I am whole.
Integrated.
Heart pumping wildly out of control, breath sawing between my parted lips, eyes bulging in wondrous fear, my world view tilts on its axis, returning me to the state of existence I haven’t experienced in almost twenty years- I am finally myself: Ezra Holden Zeitler.
A gasp rushes out of my filled lungs. A gasp pulled from the mental inundation I undergo- the transformation- the completion. Memories don’t frigidly pour into me. The images aren’t snide snippets of gloating. It’s a lifetime of memories without unwarranted protection, twisted intention, or altered perception.
I just know… everything… in an instant- from one heartbeat to the next, one breath to the next.
There is no Ezra and no Master Ez.
Ezra: the boy who refused to be a Hunter to the point that he broke. Master Ez: the man who held me back from ending that boy’s life- our life. They are no more, because they are more together than apart.
There is only me- a whole entity. Ezra Zeitler.
Integrated.
The Hunter snippet.
The Hunter. Teaser/snippet/something or other. Keep in mind, it’s not edited- like at all! I’m feeling charitable. I was going over Cortez Abernathy’s book’s drafts. One that I already axed was over 20,000 words & I’ll try to incorporate some of it somehow. This was the prologue of the newest version, but I’ve already changed my mind on how I am going to write this book. Now Cortez will give a glimpse of the past thru passages of his newest book, The Hunter, a Cortez Abernathy memoir. The following will be in the book, but slightly changed. Have a read!
The Hunter
–Prologue-
“Wait up!” I shout at Ez’s retreating back.
This summer, Ezra is obsessed with hide and seek. We take turns seeking each other. Once caught, we go back to the center of the lawn, and begin again. He makes us do this from dusk ‘til dawn. I just want to hang around the pool with Divina and Aaron, reading books and listening to music. But Ezra stares me down and says, no, do as I say.
In the past month, we’ve expanded our game to almost a hundred square acres. Now we use compasses, and we’re working up to the seven-hundred acres surrounding ShadowHaven. Ezra expects it by the time school starts. I learned forever ago, just give Ez what he wants.
We play The Hunter, as Ez likes to call it, and he won’t tell me why. He just mumbles, it’s what you do, isn’t it? You hunt your prey, don’t you? I try to tell him that I meant: why do we play it, not why is it called The Hunter? But he always ignores me.
I can tell he’s holding something back. He knows something I don’t. I asked my mom about it because Ezra is getting obsessed… she didn’t say anything, and she didn’t need to. Her petrified expression said it all. Now I wish I hadn’t said anything, because Mom and Diane keep looking at us like we’re going to turn into freaks or some shit. The little brat, Aaron, tattles on us every time we do something that they think is nature versus nurture– whatever the hell that means.
An old dude keeps coming around and trying to chat us up. After several times, I figured out that he was a headcase quack. He’s stopped talking to me. But four times a week, Ez and the Doc lock themselves in our bedroom for two hours at a clip. Ezra threw a temper tantrum, so now he only comes after dark. Doctor Weiss was cutting into The Hunter time.
It’s days like today that I get jealous. Ez is only a month older than me, but he’s huge. Ezra is all long arms and legs, which eat up the distance of our hunt. It takes me twice as long to do our route. He hated it when I called him lollypop, but it’s not true anymore. All this hunting has beefed him up. I try not to notice, but it’s impossible with him constantly strutting around naked. It’s like he wants me to see that he’s manlier than me. Divina has seen all of him, too. Ezra just laughs and looks you in the eyes- pervert.
He’s a good four inches taller than me. After twelve years of being identical in all ways, I’m pissed. I still look like a kid and Ez is running around with hair on his body. I try not to compare us, but it’s difficult not to when everyone else does. We get a lot of sidelong looks and people calling us twins. I don’t know why, but it annoys Ezra so much that he gets confrontational. I’ve never told him that it hurts my feelings when he goes on the attack. Our lives have always been parallel: no fathers, raised as brothers by our single mothers, we even look alike. Why would he be ashamed to be my brother? I guess he just doesn’t like my skin color. He teases me about being half Hispanic all the time. I’m too tan for his white, rich world.
“Don’t be a twit,” Ez taunts, running backwards on his muscular legs- show off. “You’ll never catch me.” Ez whips around and lopes off into the woods, sinister laugh fading in his wake.
“You’ll regret making me chase you,” I shout. “Someday, you’ll be the one eating my dust!” Ez’s answer is his creepy laugh. After a heartbeat of hurt because he left me behind, I go after him.
Pumping my arms as legs as fast as I can go, digging the treads of my sneakers into the ground, I try to gain on him. I slow to yank off my t-shirt and swab my face dry. It’s so humid you can practically see the moisture in the air. It’s ninety-three degrees today with the sun directly overhead. The canopy of the woods isn’t offering any relief. It’s just moist, hot, and buggy.
I’d rather be in the pool, casting looks at Divina’s bikini top. Ez would throw a fit, though. Last week he beat me for looking at her titties. I told him she wasn’t my cousin, so I can look all I want. I ended up with a black eye and Ezra had Dr. Weiss for extra sessions.
One advantage of being shorter, the limbs aren’t whipping me in the face. Ez keeps cursing every time he gets lashed. I snicker as he calls a spruce a cocksucker.
“You can’t hide if you keep bitching at inanimate objects,” I sing. “Defeats the purpose of hide and seek.”
“So does chasing me, dumbass,” he shouts at me from somewhere deep in the woods. “The whole point is learning to track… which you suck at.”
“If you’d shut up, I’d look for you. You might as well throw up a flare, since your chatty ass won’t zip it.” Truthfully, every time I’ve found him was because he was bitching at himself or a tree, sometimes a leaf or a bug. He’s silent in the woods. His feet barely touch the ground. He stalks like a perfect predator. I never even hear him breathe. It’s these random outbursts that betray his position- without fail. I know he’s not… right in the head. He’s just Ez.
Whatnots….
Warning: This posting will be a mishmash of a billion little bits of information… and extremely long-winded. I’ll put headers so that you may skip potions you don’t give a damn about. *wink wink* I’m riding through Ohio, destination New York (Groceries, fruit & vegetables :P) & Pennsylvania (Home) So I have a few hours of heading eastbound while glaring into the rising sun to formulate a long blog posting. Oh, and rocking out to my father’s love of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but thank goodness he’s no longer listening to his favorites on Sirius radio. I was about ready to jump from the moving car during Fox News & that eighties rock station. The wickedly bright, and always in my eyes no matter how hard I try to avoid it, sun and I are about to have words. I lost a screw in my glasses & I’m missing my transitions lenses something fierce. DANG, this freakin’ sucks!
Edited Versions of my titles
I’ve been contacted a few times in the past few hours on how to tell which version is which and if it is necessary to reread or what the changes were. Restraint, Good Girl, and Unleashed were edited and uploaded the first week of July. On the title page of these editions it will say their date of publication and their revised editions of November 2012/July 2013 (Restraint & Unleashed) & July 2013 (Good Girl) If you do not have these editions, please go to my account on Amazon, manage Kindle devices, and click to ‘turn on’ automatic updates. The newest edition should upload the next time you sync your device. Or follow the steps above until manage Kindle devices, on the library click the drop down next to the title you wish to update, and click update. You can also access this from the purchase page on Amazon (website only) you may also remove the title from device or archive, and redownload the edition. If all else fails, and it has for a select handful of ppl, please contact Amazon via telephone, and have them ‘reset’ your copy to the newest version. Most copies update, but it is out of my control and totally in Amazon’s hands. I don’t know why some update while others don’t.
The changes per title:
Restraint was lengthened from 70k to 100k. Restraint went through a lot of sentence restructure, formatting, and proofreading. I’ve grown within my craft & I want to make my work the best it can be. Restraint was polished, the scenes were expanded with description, and the storyline was fixed for issues in flow and storyline conflict. The overall premise did not change. If you think you need to reread for other than the enjoyment of beginning the series anew, no fear, there is no need. I realize that a lot of readers hate rereading, while some are like me, finding comfort in a reread. I will not change the storyline of my works unless there is a major conflict that I didn’t anticipate.
Unleashed & Good Girl were slightly lengthened by a few thousand words. I didn’t find as many errors, conflicts, or need to restructure the sentences. They basically received a thorough going over and polish.
As I write new titles, I will be going back to past titles, Dexter is next on my list… and yes, I will be going back to the beginning with Restraint & Good Girl when I finish all of my titles. I foresee me doing this until I find the titles flawless. (which is an impossibility) This also help to refresh the little things in my mind as I write new books within these series. Good Girl was a refresher for Widow, & Dexter will be a refresher before I begin The Hunter, and so on.
Thoughts on reviews:
I thank those who have taken the time to review my works, albeit positive or negative. Either way, obviously my work struck a chord within the reader enough for them to think about the story and take time from their busy lives to write a few sentences or a long review. So thank you.
I do not read reviews on principle. Any review, good or bad, is an emotional drain for me. While positive may fill me with inspiration, negative will undoubtedly demotivate my ass… and I never know if it’s positive or negative. Even a positive 5 star review can be riddled with unintentional landmines.
It’s a vicious cycle to engage in, an addiction. “This person loves me. “This person loathes me.” “OMG, I fucked that up!” By the time I read two or three reviews, I’m hunting up a razor blade (I jest. I’m not a cutter, but you get the point… and in all seriousness, I’ve thought about it before. But through the force of my massive willpower, I’ve abstained)
I have to take a step back from all of the closet backseat drivers (editors) and the people who think they can write my stories better than I can. Word of advice, you can’t. Why do I have the arrogance to say you can’t write my story better than I can? Simple, because it’s MY STORY, and I am the creator of its universe. As far as my grammar Nazis… I’ve grown a lot, and I will continue to grow within all the facets of my craft. Making fun of me when you make similar mistakes in the bashing review is kind of… interesting.
Final words: I am a human being. Just because I put my work out for public consumption does not mean you have the liberty to speak to me in any manner you wish. You do realize what I write, correct? I abhor DISRESPECT! Writer and authors alike are regular people with regular lives. We are all walking in similar directions down different paths. While I love interacting with my readers (I truly do) it is unnerving when some make demands (write it like this, you should have done this differently…) everything within my work is up to my discretion because it’s MY work. I thank you for the input. But no, I will not change who I am to meet whatever expectations you have of me. & yes, this is coming from a location of stress that I feel every time I receive this type of message or email. It’s completely inconceivable why people believe I will kotow to them for any reason, no matter how big or small.
In retrospect, the people in the digital land of the internet are just people, strangers. I liken the criticism and demands to a complete stranger walking up to me on a crowded street and making demands of me. Who wouldn’t be pissed? I have no idea who you are, as you have no idea of who I am. That’s not entirely true. I am an open book: my real name, age, location, and my words bleed upon the page. My point is that until you and I have multiple interactions over a long spans of time, like any relationship, you have no rights to me until you’ve earned it. I’m a very guarded person, I even take great offence when my nearest and dearest place pressure on me. Quickest way to clam me up, make a demand of me.
Note to everyone: It could be anyone on the other side of that user name with a stolen pic as a profile picture. Unless you are a public figure, you have no idea who is on the other side of the computer screen. So yes, the negatives wound me, but then I realize it could be anyone. This isn’t coming from a position of arrogance. Why should I heed words from someone who doesn’t know me, and may be ten years old giving me writing, editing, plotting, and storyline advice? I do not go to your place of employment or your home and follow you around telling you how to do this or that on a subject I know jack-shit about, so don’t come into my home and office through my laptop screen giving me advice about my occupation that you may or may not have any experience with. As bitchy as that last statement is, it’s all about mutual respect.
I will take all advice with a grain of salt, even from my betas and fellow writers. Because, ultimately, I am the one who has to live with my work. After all, it has my real name attached to it, not yours.
Really, think on this… Catfish was not a fictitious story!!! Scary, that!
Reader interactions:
I love hearing from readers, whether good or bad (not the readers 😉 The comments) Please be respectful, though. I don’t need you walking on eggshell or any shit like that. My self-confidence isn’t make of spun glass, but I am prone to bouts of extreme frustration. I have the ability to look in my mirror and acknowledge my faults. So you can’t say anything to me that I didn’t already know. With this said, go ahead and write me in any media you wish (email, msg, and comments on the website or Facebook pages. Friend my ass, and I’ll accept. Hell, you can write me letters if you wish)
I’ve had a lot of positive interactions with readers, and it’s been a cause of inspiration. M&M of Restraint is Dark and contains very dark themes. I’ve had a lot of abuse survivors contact me, saying I’ve helped them come to terms with their violation. You have no idea how this makes me feel. I want my readers to feel empowered by my work. While I may not write traditional HEA, my characters always end up with a feeling of completion within themselves. Do not give power to your victimizer by dwelling in the past. You are stronger than that!
Within the Playroom series, I dive into substance addiction, and it will be a thread within the series. It is something that has directly affected my life in several way, and I wish to address it. I’ve had a few readers contact me in thanks over writing about something that is usually pushed underneath the rug or dramatized as being fun and carefree. I’m a firm believer in tough love and totally against enabling the abuser. I hope this helps to push readers to change aspects of their lives that aren’t fulfilling them, negative people within their lives included.
Current works in progress:
Widow: a dual narrated storyline between the Widow & the Widower. Clover Webster and Malcolm Mason alternate chapters. Odd chapters for the Widower, & even chapters for the Widow. I’ve read a lot of multiple POV books, and it always confused me when the point of view would shift within a chapter with no real indication, and sometime within the same paragraph. I’ve had to read several paragraphs to gauge who the hell was narrating. Believe it or not, big time authors make this mistake within their books, especially those who have more than 2 narrators. My all-time favorite author is a HUGE offender. She also uses an upwards of 19 narrators (I think that was the final tally on her last published work) within this chaotic mess.
Using my idols are a model on what not to do, I decided that I would ease the transition by giving each narrator their own chapter with headings, so you never need to determine who is speaking/thinking because I told you before you began. Since this is my first foray into the land of multiple POV, I decided to simplify it with only 2 narrators.
Widow is a HEA storyline. One of the strongest romances I’ve written. While not saccharine in the least, with some very strong dark themes, it is pure romance. The Playroom series is my venture to get away from the darkness of The M&M series. There are no billionaires, fanatical storylines, or outlandish lifestyles. The Playroom is real people who have very real issues and kinks. They suffer through daily struggles with rent/mortgages, occupations, families, and children.
Good Girl was the introduction to the cast of characters. I needed it to highlight the playful naïveté of a teenager. It did not end with a cliffhanger or any real resolution because Willow Prynne is a still a child in my eyes. Willow has to grow up before she gets the life she deserves. Willow’s resolution will be within the pages of book 4 of the series. But you will continue to see Willow grow throughout book 2 and 3.
Widow was the perfect nexus for the series. The union of Malcolm and Clover gives us a glimpse of the cast of characters. Yes, I just said the union. There is no secret that they are going to hook up. In the format of romance, the format that I usually hate, mind you, you know from page one how the book will end. It’s why I’m not a fan of romance. I like a mystery. I don’t like knowing that the main protagonists are destined to be together no matter what. But in Widow’s case, it needed to be written as romance. It’s the progression of the characters as they solidify their family that sets up the rest of the series.
Widow is a sensual book. It shows the softer, gentler side of BDSM. In Good Girl, I broke down the barriers of BDSM by showing the playfulness of the lifestyle. I want readers to realize the lifestyle is NOT about abuse, force, or pain. There should always be a choice based on trust. Recently fiction has portrayed the lifestyle with an abusive filter, desensitizing readers to what is really right or wrong. Abuse is not sexy, it’s abuse, and it’s illegal. A personal violation is not romantic, no matter what light you shine on it. It’s assault. You should never allow someone to infringe upon your rights as a human being. I cannot stress this strongly enough!
Yes, I’ve written force and non-consent, but I’ve made sure you see the after-effects of such an event. I’ve shown these events to empower the victim when they survive because life is not pretty. Force is not romance, and it’s not sexy or hot. It may be some people’s kink. But there is a fine line between it being a mutual choice and assault. It’s a choice, both parties always have a choice. Don’t fall into a trap by allowing yourself to see it through a tainted filter. *lecture complete*
Back to Widow… our Widower, Malcolm Mason is the ultimate alpha male who wants to take care of his family. He isn’t abusive because he struggles with his own past. He suffers from skin hunger, and readers will experience the softer, sensual side of the lifestyle through Malcolm.
Widow sets up Wayward. Wayward will be narrated by Augustus Kline, Robin Prynne, and Isis Mason. I want to stress that the narrators do not indicate unions. While the three lifelong friends may find HEA together, you’ll have to read to find out. I’ve grouped my narrators by age and connection. Similar to book 4 with Willow Prynne and Kieren and Devon Mason. It would be disjointed to have narrators of differing ages. To read as a teen/young adult, and then be thrust in the mind of an adult would be discombobulating, especially for me as I write it.
Widow is slated for release on the final week of August. It may be sooner rather than later. Only the muse knows. Currently the book is 75k words in length, and about 3/4th completed. I have no true length on my books. I end them when the story deems it should be ended. However, I do price my books according to length.
Pricing:
I’ve never written a work under 50k, but if I do, here is the pricing guide I always follow.
10-25,000 words: 99 cents
26-40,000 words: $1.99
41-60,000 words: $2.99
61-100,000 words: $3.99
All first in a series will be listed at $3.99, regardless of length. (If shorter than 100k, will be priced less. It’s why Restraint was just raised to $3.99 from its original $2.99. The revision pushed it over 100k) First in a series are also subject to .99 cent sales and free promotions.
101,000+ words: $4.99
Over 150,000 words: $5.99
Omnibus editions & epic length novels over 300,000 words: $9.99.
Only paper editions will ever be over $9.99. Yes, I do plan on paper editions in the near future.
These prices are well under the guidelines that major publishers and independent and self-published authors use. I will never rip off my readers. I know more than anyone how horrible the economy is currently. I’d rather have my loyal fans read my books for next to nothing than go without. My code is to give the reader a lot of content and story for as little price as possible. But a girl has to eat… even if she’s on a diet.
First person present tense:
If you haven’t figured out yet, I’m just writing whatever pops into my mind as it pops into my mind. (Dude, both times I typed pops, POOPS flowed from my fingertips! *snickers) Currently, I see the sign promising Erie Pennsylvania in 40 miles, and my bladder is about to freakin’ burst. Dang you, Venti Caramel Iced Coffee from the Ohio Toll road Starbucks that litter the plazas… But alas, we’ve run out of plazas since we’ve abandoned that road for Ohio’s I-90, which seems very short on rest areas. GONNA PISS MY PANTS! A coffee piss is worse than a beer piss.
So anyhoo… case in point about first person present tense (dude, Fox news just took over CCR L) I write in this tense because it causes the reader to experience the story as it’s happening, like my current pissy pants issue. You’re reading about my predicament as I experience the bulging pressure of a full to bursting bladder.
I can’t write in past tense. I just can’t do it. I hate it when I do a flashback sequence. I also can’t write a 3rd person perspective, either. It also takes me a long time to get into a book that is written that way. I think in the here and now. So the entire time I’m reading about the “saids” and “dids” I’m like, but your dialogue is in present tense. WTF? Yeah, it confuses me and pulls me from the story. I know the norm is past tense. But… yeah, my story, my freakin’ rules! Yes, I’m a dominant personality. You should know this by now.
Plus, that third person makes me feel like a patient at an insane asylum when it’s not written properly. I’m not Ezra Zeitler of the multiple personality persuasion. Like, I’m talking about myself in third person or some shit. You don’t think, ‘she walked into the room,’ when thinking about your own actions. I’m like, “bitch, I sashayed into the room, and everyone was looking at me.”
In case you are wondering… yeah, reviews from first person perspective haters led me to this strange train of thought. *shrugs* You ain’t making me write any differently than I already do. I’ll perfect my craft, but I’m not catering to everyone’s likes. It’s an impossibility. Plus, I really do love reading first person present, so that’s what I write.
WELCOME TO PENNSYLVIANIA. My home state better cough up a freakin bathroom before I wet this leather seat with my coffee piss! OMG! A Rest Area! Thank you baby Jesus! I love you Pennsylvania for the short while before we dip back into New York, my other ridge-running state.
AH! I feel five pounds lighter! Pure bliss! & you wouldn’t enjoy my discomfort and subsequent relief if it wasn’t for the first person present tense writing J
WHAT’S NEXT?
My muse has a mind of her own. After Widow, I may or may not write The Hunter or Wayward. Sometimes as I’m writing a series and I finish one book, the next manifests immediately. Other times I’m able to go between the series with little issue. It’s why I only write 2 series at a time. Any more than that and I would go insane.
I can give you some info on The Hunter, though. I will do my damnedest to get The Hunter released before Thanksgiving. I have some events, sales and such for that time frame, and again at Christmas/New Years because of all the new devices being purchased as gifts. Yeah, it’s a long ways off, but I have to keep a schedule. I want Widow, Wayward, and The Hunter published before then. And it all depends on length. Like with Faithless, which I thought would be a short book. I never know what the book’s length will be until it tells me… so it all depends. We will see!
The Hunter: Cortez Abernathy is experiencing writer’s block, as you learned in several books and the why of it during chapter 105 of Faithless. I want to get away from a parallel storyline, flashback, dream sequences… but I want to give Cort’s perspective of past events without rehashing them to death. Cort’s story is the time frame of after they moved to Misery Castle (KING- ending chapters of Faithless) The reader will be in the present as Cort and company deal with events, but will experience the past through Cort’s newest book, The Hunter. The Hunter is an autobiographical Cortez Abernathy memoir.
Cortez’s book will be more romancy, emotional, and life-changing. It’s not a coming of age story, more of a finding one’s true path kind of story. Cortez is lost. I’ve been strongly toying with an idea, and I’m on the fence. After Widow, for the first time ever, I’m seeking the advice from my betas. What I may or may not do is irreversible, and I don’t want to fuck up my series by acting in haste. No, I’m not offing any major characters (I promise). But it will have far reaching consequences, and I do believe I’m going to do it. Sometimes I amaze myself. *snickers* Yes, you should be very worried!
Warning aside, The Hunter will be very sweet, very emotional, and as gut-wrenching as it is playful and charming. Basically, Cort’s book will be just like his personality!
Silenced: I believe will be a short book, and not because Grant doesn’t have a lot to say… it’s just that his book ties into a more complex book. But I felt it was the right time to set up what Grant has going on. His swagger and naughtiness will be a good palate cleanser between Cortez and Ezra’s emotional torture roller coaster ride from Hell. Grant has some ‘play’ he’s working on to get attention from an unlikely source. Wil kept hinting at this during Faithless. “One step closer, congrats!” kind of dialogue. Plus, Grant is mighty pissed his bedroom romp with Faith was interrupted.
Next up is Integrated (Ezra Holden Zeitler’s book). After that, it’s either Niel or Katya’s book. Yeah, that gives you a hint about what I’m toying with…
HOME NOW
What I have planned for this evening: I have a few winners to choose for the rafflecopter giveaway. I also have to send out copies of my books to a prize winner from another giveaway I was a part of. I’m doing laundry out the ass! I have to create a report for the sales for the promo weekend, and I think I will post the first two chapters of Widow (a chapter from both narrators)…
Sneaky Snakes!
As usual, after a Kindle free promotion weekend: It wasn’t good enough that I gave out thousands of FREE books, ppl must read the rest of the books for FREE as well. Unleashed had a return this morning, now there is a return for Dexter, and I’m positive there will be one for Dalton next… and so on. Now I just checked, and there are two Unleashed returns. Man, it’s amazing how people accidently one-click my books in series order, and manage to return them after reading…. Amazing… absolutely amazing…
Erica’s beginnings & Inspirational fanmail
I can’t speak how this is for all writers, but I can speak for myself. Fans are the driving force for me, while writing is the compulsion. I write because I must. There is no getting around it.
When I was a teenager I’d get my journal out and pour my soul onto the pages. As a teenager, I wasn’t much different than I am now, so that journal wasn’t used often because I’d feared people reading it. Always been a bit paranoid and pessimistic. I lucked out that I had an English Teacher that made us write our asses off. Honors English had a larger course load than it’s counterpart. I wrote- a lot. I also wrote a lot of dark poetry to take the edge off. I started my first novel at age 14- Philadelphia- after a teenage girl with the same name. Sadly, I’ve lost that budding manuscript.
I’d place my father’s hand-me-down crappy typewriter on my bed, pull up my white metal folding chair and get to work. Whiteout! Whiteout is my friend. & thank you, baby Jesus, that I have laptops now. I heart the backspace and delete buttons!!! I hated, HATED writing with a typewriter and my hands are fragile- weak- I HATED long-hand as well.
My next foray into writing was love notes, or maybe hate notes is more accurate. I’d pour page after page of teenage angst into letters and hand them off to my at-the-time future-husband, now future-ex-husband. I will happily say that I moved up into the world by writing these masterpieces in the privacy of word processing class *snickers* *cough cough* (I had 100% in both of the classes I took with this teacher- WP & Accounting) My typing/Accounting teacher was impressed with my skills- I had enough practice. & I spent half the day in that room my senior year.
…& since I was still a control freak back then with OCD tendencies, I had a favorite keyboard. If my keyboard wasn’t at my station, I’d go to all 30+ computers until I found it, unplug the bitch, and take it. The teacher would patiently wait until I found it- by mid-semester, I had help locating the bitch. It was a softtouch keyboard- no clickity-clackity sounds. I can still feel the smooth texture beneath my fingertips. I also cleaned the keys everyday. The other students knew better than to complain- by the end of the year, they were handing it to me when I entered the room, like an offering. Gotta love underclassmen. I wasn’t the only one obsessed with this keyboard because someone was jacking my keyboard on a daily basis during the previous class… or maybe it was someone who was jerking my chain.
I only ever had one disagreement with that teacher & I believe that she never even checked my work, just automatically gave me 100%. I never use the right-hand shift or use my right thumb for the spacebar. After about 20 nagging sessions of her complaining about this, she learned never to argue with me- I’m stubborn and left-handed- and never lose an argument. To this day, that right-hand shift has never been utilized and I’ve worn holes in the left-hand side of my spacebar on every laptop I own.
Ah! I loved that class and that daft teacher. It was where I first learned the system of student id numbers and hacked into accounts and deleted certain people’s saved work… or just read their private shit. It was so easy and oh so tempting. You really shouldn’t give out id’s by alphabetical order and siblings. After a few tries, I figured out the system. Yes, I have a bit of Regina in me…. and a whole heluva lot of Syn.
My writing continued on with the Hate notes- as a married woman to a man that drove her batshit-fucking-crazy, there was plenty of hate notes. One time it was 20+pages- hand written, so you know I meant business since I hate writing long-hand. When I got my laptop, I used to write him hate notes and never print them. I had a whole file of the bastards. Since I’m no longer with him, you could say I had plenty of complaints.
(Btw, I am a very quiet, nice person. Above kinda paints me in a bitch-light. I will do and do and I’m a great friend. But I am not passive-aggressive. You disrespect me and you won’t like the consequences. I can only be a doormat for so long. So any wrong-doing on my part was instigated by a heluva lot of nastiness on their part. They learned to not mess around w/the quiet girl that was smarter than them. I also never told them how or why their work was gone. It added an extra feeling of pleasure as they tried to figure out what the hell happened. It just POOF-ed into thin air! I also will use the hormonal teenage girl defense.)
My writing reminds me of steam from a pressure cooker- without it, I would explode or maybe, implode. At the end of my marriage, I started reading like a lunatic and finally started writing again, not hate notes but an actual novel. It wasn’t until after I left my husband that I realized this was the path I wanted to take in life. Writing isn’t a career choice, it’s a lifestyle.
I write every day. It may not be on a manuscript- blog posts, emails and messages, lists and goals. Regardless of what, I write at least a couple thousand words a day. It’s my release.
That is why I write, but the Fans are the ones that inspire me to keep writing stories. Often there are times that I feel discouraged. Not with writing- I will always write. But with sharing my written words- my stories. Reviews, hate mail, passive-aggressive helpful hints, bitch slaps through the laptop screen- they are very demotivational. I can always just write something to relieve the pressure- it doesn’t have to be a novel. But the true fans take that need to write and transform it into a universe worth visiting.
My fans put a grin on my face that is so wide that my skin feels tight! On a daily basis I get emails, messages, blog and FB comments. Fans read my books and reread them again. It doesn’t feed my ego, it fills this empty place inside of me that longs to create. I’ve virtually met so many interesting, inspiring people. Reading discussion threads that I long to dive in and join but fear I will reveal too much or seeing one fan turn another reader into a fan drives me, forces me, to keep writing when I feel discouraged. I love that I create that feeling within my readers that Richelle Mead, LKH, and Harrison elicited within me when I chatted with my bookmates. I’m not saying I’m on their level, but it feels damn fine to know that I’m eliciting emotions and long-lasting thoughts within my readers’ minds!
There is another type of reader that pulls my heartstrings. The type of reader I am as well. I’ve been contacted by countless readers about my dark subject matter. I use writing as an outlet for emotions that I can’t explain or understand. I read for that same reason. Victims of violence reach out to me and thank me for helping them sort out these feelings- while they may not have words to put with the emotions, they find a way to cope- a way to turn the victim mentality to living the life of a survivor .
My female characters are never weak. Several are submissive, males too. But I don’t find submission a weakness, it’s a choice. My characters go through painful life-altering events and come out the other side empowered and filled with hope. I feel a sense of contentment knowing I can give that to my readers.
That is the why of it- why I write and why I write stories. Hope you enjoyed a look into my twisted mind!
Point of View
2 of my betas have read part 1 of Faithless. I used them to bounce ideas off of and ask questions and firm up my writing before the completed manuscript is sent off to the rest of the betas. Sass brought up a good point that I thought I should hit on.
*Mild spoilers for those who have not read up to KING.*
Don’t read if you haven’t read up to Book #8. I warned you- you better have listened or Mistress will get her pen out and write naughty, angry words about you. *snickers*
Torian Spencer. We know he is Syn’s nephew, but we don’t know how he is her nephew. Sass does now after reading part 1, but she was curious as to why she’d never heard from his parents in earlier? Later? books. Faithless part 1 is set in the same time frame as Jaded. So I will go with earlier than KING.
Answer: Point of View.
Restraint & Unleashed: Katya Waters knows none of the people in the M&M universe. She is in the dark. Her only connection to the people is through Ezra, and later, Cortez. & Let’s face it, Ezra is a shady dude. If you’ve read King, you know Ezra doesn’t even know half of the stuff he’s done when his alters are driving the bus. So do you really believe Katya knows anything… Kat is blind to everything… Blind.
Dexter: Dexter is living a normal life with an interesting hobby. He grew up, was best buds with Marcus and Grant, and went to college. He has a career and a wife… and a Tobias for his needs. Other than Restraint, he is out of the loop on just about everything & he wants it that way. He wants to live his life and not be bothered. He is a private kinda guy. Marcus is is his link & as you’ve found out during KING, poor Marcus was in the dark.
Dalton: Dalton was raised in Las Vegas. He doesn’t know anyone, not really. He knows Marcus and his own retinue from LV. During his book he learned things from Olivia. It was during KING that Dalton learned a lot, more than Whitt was learning. Dalton is tight-lipped to save his partner- obviously KING’s epilogue is building towards something…
Queen omnibus: Teenage Regina was in the dark. Mourning Regina was in the dark. Empowered Regina only knew Marcus’ light. Since Marcus was on the wrong path, so was Regina.
KING: Whitt can’t know what he doesn’t know. He learns a lot in the epilogue, but we read it in Ezra’s voice. ‘Daniel’ *he just yelled at me for calling him Whitt* learns a lot from Syn in the final chapters of Faithless, and a whole heluva lot during Silence- the epilogue builds to Silence.
Faithless: Syn is all-knowing. She knows everyone and everything. and readers will too by book’s end. Syn ghosts about, stalks everyone, and is the keeper of secrets. She is tight-lipped because if she speaks, lies and secrets spill from her mouth.
My reason for this post, characters are fictional people. They can only know what they see, experience, feel, and who they interact with. Example: Pre-Restraint, Kat and Dalton would never have crossed paths, so how could they possibly know one another. You can only know what you’ve been told, shown, or experienced, just as real life.
You will meet new people during Faithless that you didn’t meet in earlier books. They were there living their lives, but it was off scene. Faithless, you see what Syn and a few others were doing ‘off scene’ during those books. Same as how you saw characters who were ‘off scene’ during books 1-4 during Queen’s books.
You have to read a book from multiple Point of views to get a full picture of the story unfolding. I don’t know if I will do another parallel storyline. Cortez’s book, The Hunter, begins with a memory, goes right into a living nightmare, and takes us through his relationship with his loved ones. It’s not really like Queen & Faithless- flow wise. Silence will show glimpses of the past, but will be in the present. That epilogue is basically where Silence begins. I don’t want readers to have to read the same story over and over, but some spots must be shown not told. Such as the living Nightmare of Ezra, Cortez, and Aaron. Other stories won’t be shown at all- I believe that Wil won’t ever get a book. You will just experience him through all the others.
It’s difficult for me to make these decisions. Who gets their story told, how it’s told, what parts should be in real time vs memories or conversations. Like do I give readers Marcus in Las Vegas or just have him think about it. Queen and Faithless work because the readers were ignorant to what else was happening in that time frame, but at the same time I don’t want to be treading water, I want to move the story forward.
Info on Faithless release. No idea, guys. Sorry if it feels like a delay. It’s only been 7 weeks since I published KING. That’s it. feels like an eternity to me. My progress on Faithless is 2/3 thru part 2 of 3. It’s already the longest book I’ve ever written and I’m a lil over halfway finished with the manuscript. After completion, I reread, rewrite, reread again, send to betas, enact their edits & take their questionnaires into mind, I reread and rewrite a final time before publication. I do not know when this will happen- not 6 months or anything like that, but I will not rush it. I’ve already changed my mind on some major shit. I want no regrets, so no rushing. Faithless is also the equivalent of 5 of its predecessors, so that is why the book will take a lot of patience, effort, and time.
Some parts of Faithless are the most brutal things I’ve ever written, but at the same time, some of the sweetest and kindest. I’ve surpassed my boundaries and hopefully the readers will too.
Faithless is the ultimate puzzle that interlocks the previous books and opens a canvas for future books in the M&M of Restraint universe.
Winner: $25 Amazon gift card giveaway
The winner of the $25 Amazon giftcard giveaway if Becky Daresh. I sent our winner an email, just waiting on confirmation. For all of those who participated, thank you for playing, sharing, and liking. Restraint’s First Anniversary was a success. I have the readers, fans, and new friendly faces to thank for that success!
I will be doing another giveaway for a $35 Amazon Gift Card in honor of my 35th birthday in July. Be on the lookout for it. At the same time, Restraint & Good Girl will be free. Both promotions will run from July 10th-14th.
Thanks!
~Happy Wicked Reading~
Family Tree
With the release of KING, a family tree is needed. I’d like to thank Diane for bringing this to my attention. I’d thought of it previously, but failed to do so. Someday, I will actually put it in the books!
Here is the link to the tab or you can just find it at the top of the website. I will update it as I go. I already know who is who inside my head, but I can’t add anything that hasn’t been published yet. Here is what I have so far. If anything is confusing or written strangely, comment or email me. If I am missing someone, bring that to my attention.
Currently, unless the character is biologically or legally related to another character, they aren’t on the list.
The List includes both series, M&M & Playroom.
Family Trees
Read at the risk of ruining any surprises I have within the published books. I will update relationships with each release. In other words, some things are still a secret. Unless the Character is Biologically or legally related to another character, they will not appear on the list.
Mistress & Master of Restraint
Katya Waters <- Ava Zeitler, Ezra Zeitler Jr-> Ezra (Holden) Zeitler
Katya Waters <– Azriel Abernathy-Zeitler –> Cortez Abernathy
Ava Zeitler <–> Azriel Abernathy-Zeitler <–> Ezra Zeitler Jr | Biological Siblings
Byron Holden <– Pearl Holden <–> Diane Holden –> Unknown Holden
Pearl Holden <–> Diane Holden | Biological Siblings
Pearl (Holden) Hastings <– Divina Hastings –> Richard Hastings
Diane Holden <– Ezra Holden –> Raymond Hunter | Marcus Zeitler (adopted) –> Ezra Zeitler
Ezra Zeitler <–> Divina Hastings | First Cousins Mothers biological siblings
Marcus Zeitler <–> Dexter Hayes | first cousins Marcus Father & Dexter’s Mother biological siblings
Marcus Zeitler <– Spyder Fontaine Zeitler –> Olivia Fontaine
Olivia Fontaine <– Dalton Anthony Fontaine Marconi –> Anthony Marconi
Anthony Marconi <– Bruno (last name unknown) –> Mother Unknown
Pierre Fontaine <– Olivia Fontaine –> Mother Unknown
Adopted Siblings| Ezra Zeitler <–> Spyder Fontaine Zeitler <–> Dalton Anthony Fontaine Marconi<–> Bruno | Biological Siblings
Nathanial Hunter <– Raymond Hunter <–> Celeste Hunter (twins) –> Mother Unknown
Celeste Hunter <– Cortez Abernathy –> Julian Abernathy
Raymond Hunter <– Ezra Holden –> Diane Holden
Ezra Zeitler <–> Cortez Abernathy | First Cousins Ezra’s Father & Cortez’s Mother biological siblings
Wilhelm Whittenhower <– Daniel Whittenhower I –> Unknown Whittenhower
James Grant Atwater <– Priscilla Atwater –> Unknown Atwater
Daniel Whittenhower <– Grant Whittenhower, Katherine Whittenhower, Adelaide Whittenhower –> Priscilla (Atwater)Whittenhower
Grant Whittenhower <– Daniel Whittenhower II (Whitt) –> Gwen (secret)
Grant Whittenhower <– Daniel Whittenhower III (Niel) <–> Ella Whittenhower –> Regina Regal
Ella Regal <– Regina Regal –> Unknown Regal
Daniel Whittenhower II <–> Daniel Whittenhower III (Niel) <–> Ella Whittenhower |Adopted| Biological siblings
Katherine (Whittenhower) Preston <– Whitney Preston <–> Priscilla Preston –> Unknown Preston
Daniel Whittenhower III (Niel) <–> Ella Whittenhower | Whitney Preston <–> Priscilla Preston | First Cousins thru Father/Mother Biosiblings
Daniel Whittenhower III (Niel) <– Unborn Baby Whittenhower –> (Surprise)
Update After Faithless
Henry Spencer <– Boyd Spencer –> (Secret)
Boyd Spencer <– Torian Spencer –> (Secret)
Thomas Simpson <– Fate Simpson <–> Faith Simpson –> Lara Simpson| Adoptive Mother | Bio mother (Secret Meyers)
Fate Simpson <–> Faith Simpson | Biological siblings
Stanton Green <– Bianca Green –> (Secret)
Martha Harris <– Kristal Harris –> Unknown Harris
Update after Faithless
Jon Wilson <– Jonathon Wilson (JJ)–> Unknown Wilson mother
JJ Wilson <– ‘Wil’ –> Unknown mother
JJ Wilson <– Etta Wilson –> Unknown Mother
‘Wil <–> Greta (Etta) Wilson | Biological Siblings
Update After Faithless
Meyers
Playroom Series
Dave Prynne <–> William Prynne | Biological Siblings
Dave Prynne <– Clover Prynne <–> Robin Prynne –> Mary Prynne
Clover (Prynne) Websters <–> Robin Prynne |Biological Siblings
William Prynne < Hester Prynne (Essie) –> Ana Prynne
Clover Webster <–> Willow Prynne, Violet Webster, Seth Webster –> Sam Webster
Willow Prynne <–> Violet Webster <–> Seth Webster | Biological Siblings
Essie <–> Clover, Robin, Willow, Seth, Violet | first/second cousins
Margarette Webster <– Sam Webster –> Unknown Webster
John Mason <– Malcolm Mason <–> Isis Mason –> Penny Mason
Malcolm Mason <–> Isis Mason | Biological Siblings
Malcolm Mason <– Devon, Kieren, Raven, Weston –> Camille Mason
Devon, Kieren, Raven, Weston | Biological Siblings
Augustus Kline <–> Tina Unknown | Step-siblings
A reader created a visual representation of the M&M family Tree. I’d like to personally thank Diane Peters for creating this. Much Appreciated!
Giveaway: Advanced ecopy of KING, & Restraint & Good Girl
Want a free wicked Read? Curious to get your hands on the newest M&M of Restraint book? KING is the 8th in the series. Try your hand at a chance to win an advanced ecopy or win the first in the series or the debut in the Playroom series. Click Me and follow the instructions to enter! 48-hours Only!
Erica Chilson: The Wicked Writer 