New Release Blended Series Sale: Wanton
Buy Links:
Good Girl (FREE 9/19-9/23 ONLY)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B3V6Q2G
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B3V6Q2G
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00B3V6Q2G
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00B3V6Q2G
Wildly Wedded Wife: (FREE 9/19-9/23 ONLY)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LBITZPQ
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007X6GZDK
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00LBITZPQ
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00LBITZPQ
Widow: ($2.99 9/19-9/23 ONLY. $4.99 after)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVNGPIM
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KVNGPIM
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00KVNGPIM
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00KVNGPIM
Wanton: (New Release Price $2.99)
Amazon US – http://amzn.to/1qmKHRp
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1qNn6qN
Amazon AU – www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00NHB60SK
Amazon CA – www.amazon.ca/dp/B00NHB60SK
Widow Blog Tour Hosts & Dates
Widow, Blended #2, Blog Tour Stops and Dates. Please visit for excerpts, teasers, and reviews.
***
July 11th:
***
July 12th:
Breaking that Kindle Budget Book Blog
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
***
July 13th:
***
July 14th:
***
July 15th:
Life, Books, and More Books Blog
***
July 16th:
Come to the Darkside. We Have books
***
July 17th
***
July 18th
***
July 19th
***
July 20th
Abibliophobia Anonymous Books Reviews
~Thank You for hosting Widow’s Blog Tour~
***
!!A HUGE THANK YOU to ANGELA & Wicked Reads for organizing the tour!!
Blended Series Sale: FREE/.99/2.99
In honor of the newly released sequel to Good Girl, Widow. For Widow’s Blog Tour & her BIRTHDAY, author Erica Chilson is offering all the books currently in release in the Blended Series at a heavily discounted Rate. Combined, ONLY $3.99 for 1,500 PAGES of angsty twistedness.
Begin your Blended Family epic saga with Good Girl– FREE for a limited time only, July 10th-14th. Follow Willow Prynne as she grows into her own woman, all the while introducing you to the Blended Series’ cast of characters. Willow’s journey is a coming-of-age tale that dives deep into the darkest recesses of a young mind, while maintaining a feeling of growth and hope.
Erica Chilson is all about the balance. To lighten the darkness within Good Girl, Wildly Wedded Wife, the Blended Series first novella, spotlights Bethany & Rory. Only *99 pennies* Cute, sweet, romantic, and enlightening, Beth & Rory take the reader on a wild ride from Auggie’s hedonistic Playroom all the way to Las Vegas- wee… wee… wee…
Widow parallels events in Good Girl, while showing the reader a more mature and different side of the story. Clover Webster & Malcolm Mason are proof that second chances do in fact exist, even when the world is against you. Widow is an emotional journey through all aspects of life, leaving the reader with a sense of hope and redemption for the future. Grab a copy July 10th-17th for $2.99 and save off the regular price of $4.99.
Please visit author Erica Chilson’s Amazon page to buy your copy today at a heavily discounted rate.
Disclaimer: The Blended Series is for mature audiences only. 18+ Contemporary Romance with an erotic twist. Good Girl features bisexual themes and sexual content that some may find disturbing. Drug Use is prevalent, without being Pro-Drug or Anti-Drug. Recreational Drug users and abusers are in our everyday life, and the Blended Series is nothing if not reality. Wildly Wedded Wife contains sexually explicit content, with a scene featuring a wicked male/male sex toll into the Playroom. Widow features sensual erotic themes, guaranteed to leave you jonesing for a sensual massage.
NOTICE: If you already own a copy of Good Girl, and the title page does not list the Revamped edition as February 2014, then you must update your copy before continuing on with the series. The author made major changes to the foundation of the Blended Series. You do NOT have to re-purchase. Please visit *Updated Editions* for details.
Impatient for more from the Blended Series? You don’t have long to wait. Coming late July, Wanton (Blended #2.5), Opal Fischer & Ginny Jamison’s tale, diving deeper into the cast of characters than your average novella. Coming late September, Warped (Blended #3). In Warped, delve into the mind of Devon & Kieren Mason, & Willow & Essie Prynne.
With much appreciation, could you please spread the word of The Blended Series S*A*L*E. Word-of-mouth is an indie author’s bread&butter. For less than the price of a Frappe, you can spend days, if not more than a week, reading 1,500 pages of angsty twistedness. Show your thanks to the author by sharing the sale and leaving an honest review on Amazon & Goodreads.
!!THANK YOU!!
The wicked Writer sings,“Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday, dear Erica. Happy Birthday to me!” *passes out FREE Kindle copies of Good Girl to her readers as birthday presents*
WIDOW: read an ARC for FREE
Curious to see what happened after Good Girl ended, way before other readers get a chance? Are you a blogger or page/group administrator, or just a ravenous fan? Here is your chance to not only read Widow early & for free, but obtain a copy of Good Girl too.
Wicked Reads is organizing a Blog Tour for Widow July 7th- July 20th. & is also providing 10 lucky readers with ARC copies of Widow too!
Bloggers & page/group administrators: *click here* for details
Fans: *click here* for details
I hope you will join us!
I’d also love to thank Angela over at Wicked Reads for organizing Widow’s promotions :-*
As always, feel free to email me: wickedwriter.ericachilson@gmail.com
Diatribe: Good Girl rants, and Widow.
As of this morning I hit 200,000 words on Widow. I’m now on the downwards slope towards the ending, where I’m tying all the loose threads from the entire book while adding insight for the books to come.
Since I published Integrated, I took a step back to reevaluate myself as a writer. I am determined to eliminate my bad habits, writing-wise, and slow down. A major thread of Widow is regret, and that is channeled from its author. My biggest regret is rushing a story.
When Good Girl was first published, I was proud of it. I thought it complete. I was wrong. I had written 70% of Widow shortly after Good Girl’s completion. I then took a step back and wrote KING, Faithless, The Hunter, Integrated, Hero, and found myself back to square one with Good Girl.
The foundation of the entire Blended series wasn’t right, which made me rethink all of my choices.
The day I had to delete over 200 pages of Widow… was a sad day, indeed.
Originally Widow began where Good Girl ended- that explosive cliffhanger of a scene that changed their family dynamic. I will prove a point now: Rushing would have killed the book and the subsequent books if I had released it over a year ago. All 200,000 of Widow’s words thus far, are before that end scene. It is the entirety of the book itself, with only a handful of scenes wrapping up the novel. Widow, as it is now, with the way the family’s lives have evolved, would never have been written. Warped would have been dead in the water, unable to be written.
After this major change, Warped will be one of my most challenging books. Picking up with Devon in rehab and showing the aftermath of Widow for the entire Blended family.
I’ve had some flack over Good Girl for a few things, things I wish to address now.
DRUG USE: I’m not advocating it, nor am I preaching about it. I’m showing it from both perspectives, and both are very real. I don’t write fairy tales. Drug and alcohol abuse are very present in our everyday lives. It’s not pretty because it’s reality. If this presses a trigger for you, then perhaps you’ve been affected by it at some point, and you should continue to read to see how I show it from the different angles. If you believe I’m advocating use, then perhaps you should continue to read to find out that is not the case. If you don’t believe drugs are everywhere, and as such, they shouldn’t be in books, then perhaps you are living in a world of your own creation. If you just don’t like reading about reality, then the Blended series isn’t for you, so don’t penalize me for it.
S-E-X: If you are on this earth, you were created through sex. If sex offends you, see above post in DRUG USE about reality. I DO NOT write closed-door romance. Nowhere do I say I do. Everywhere I say I don’t. 2 seconds of research through the reviews or my backlist will inform you that I write contemporary romance, erotic romance, suspense, LGBT, and BDSM. Unless I’m living in an alternate universe, I’d expect those to have sexual situations, and I wouldn’t expect the author to be penalized because of it. To me, it makes about as much sense as buying Science Fiction, reading Science Fiction, and then writing a 1 star review because it was Science Fiction. NOTE: for my deviants, Widow is more mild because of its characters. If you are a long-time reader of mine, you know I don’t write sex-fests.
Length: I’ve had readers complain of the length of Good Girl, with the irony being those same readers complain about spending their hard earned money buying what I call episodic series. (a series of novellas or short stories, all ending with a cliffhanger, forcing readers to wait for what comes next while it’s being written or to buy the next episode to see what happens next) While as lucrative for those authors as it is frustrating for its readers, I am not those authors. As a writer, the only thing I can do is write the way my muse programmed me. For me, a book has a beginning, middle, and an ending, and I will write that book the way it tells me to write it.
Yes, I’ve had cliffhangers. But the ending was to change the POV of the character, optimizing the readers’ experiences by telling the story in the voice best to relay the story. Good Girl was the length it was because it chose its length, ending because it was Clover and Malcolm’s turn to voice their story. Widow is the length it is to give you an entire story from start to finish, where the children will pick up the story to show you a new side in this journey.
As a reader, if long books aren’t for you, that is not my issue. I know there are so many amazing stories being written, and we, as readers, will never read them all. So we rush like kids trying to earn BOOK-IT points for Pizza Hut. But there is no gold star for reading the most books the fastest. I used to rush-read as well, until I realized I was short-changing my own entertainment. Reading isn’t a job; it’s for pleasure. A pleasure we pay for, so the faster you read, the more expensive the hobby. So when I get negative flack for a 700 page book you received for free or for only 99 cents, I get insulted. So if my writing style isn’t for you… I will not change, nor be penalized for it.
3rd person vs 1st person: I’ve heard this one many times: If only Ms. Chilson wrote in 3rd person… usually followed by, the book would be much shorter, and we’d know what so&so was thinking. 1st: I’ll let you know what they were thinking when I want you to know. Otherwise, it ruins any surprises, and I’m all about the surprises. Second: Well, that’s great that you enjoy 3rd person, but Ms. Chilson is the one who has to write the book. Ms. Chilson doesn’t write 3rd person. She also isn’t a fan of 3rd person narratives.
As a reader, you can choose what you read. As a writer, you CAN’T choose what you write.
This works for both my reading and writing styles: I must become one with the narrator, so 1st person present tense draws me into them. An overview isn’t intimate enough for me to connect with the characters. I’m in too many characters’ heads, and not deep enough. There is no deep connection when the internal monologue is disconnected from the readers. Also, past tense confuses me. I feel like saying, “I’m reading this RIGHT NOW, but it’s past tense.” I want to be walking around with the character, not hearing about how they walked around five minutes ago or ten years ago.
We all read differently because we are different people. Since I am the one writing the book, I can only write it the way I write. To each their own. To the joys of individual expression. *cheers*
Long story short: expect Widow to be a 700 page book in 1st person narrative in the present tense. Whether you find that boring, drawn-out, is not my issue. There are no unnecessary scenes written as filler in these pages. I don’t have time for that, not with all the characters screaming in my head. No shopping trips, car rides, or incessant decorator or fashion descriptions. Every scene is to propel the story or character development. There will be no doubting who the characters are on a soul-deep level. You, as the reader, will be able to predict their future actions as if they were your own. Why? Because I’ve bared their souls to you while you read, connected you, through the 1st person, present tense narrative.
Angry diatribe complete!
In other news. Widow will be released mid-June. Angela is organizing a Blog tour for Widow’s release, with ARCs for both Good Girl and Widow for review, as well as a Blitz and cover/blurb reveal. (All foreign language to me) So if you wish to join the fun, I’ll post the information when it becomes available.
As of mid-June, I will have publish 1,500 pages in the first half of 2014. I am stepping back again, reevaluating how Warped should proceed. In my leisure, I will be editing the M&M series, as well as writing a novella titled Wanton. Wanton is a (for Amber, who requested a BBW) BBW Lesbian romance centered around two females in Blended’s cast of characters. I will release the details on this title after Widow’s release. This book is my version of a test- a test to see if I can write about two people, centering the entire book around their connection, and manage to fit it into 120 pages or less.
Gauntlet thrown down: the Deviants over at M&M of Restraint don’t think I can do it. Anyone who reads my books knows I’m a challenge-taker. I’ll do it because you guys think I can’t, whether said in jest or not (I wasn’t offended. First, it made me laugh, and then it made me get down to business. As I end Widow, that novella has been writing itself in my head)
Off to finish Widow’s draft in the next week or so, and then the betas will work their magic while I put my editor hat on… and then things get really serious.
Restraint’s 2nd Birthday: Sale & Freebie
Katya Waters is aging gracefully, as her book has reached its 2nd year in publication milestone. If you’re a fan of the Mistress & Master of Restraint Series, tell your friends about this limited-time discounted rate of 99 pennies: April 23-30th only. Mistress & Master of Restraint Series is filled with dark twists and suspense-filled plots that keep you guessing and hungry for more. Restraint is book #1 of the 11 books currently in release.
Good Girl is Restraint’s less dark, but no less twisted, little sister. The debut in the contemporary/erotic romance Blended Series is free for a limited-time only: April 24-28th.
This birthday promotion is the best way to take a chance on author Erica Chilson, the Wicked Writer, without wasting a penny. Sample her writing style by delving in, and experience her warped sense of emotional torture while shining a bright light of hope within the shadowy darkness, promising a brighter future for her characters.
***Check price before you one-click***
Restraint: .99 cents 4/23-4/30
Save $3.00 on this 300 page wicked read by buying today.
http://tinyurl.com/kjma3ea
Good Girl: FREE 4/24-4/28
Discount price at 99 cents in anticipation of its sequel, Widow, list price will be $4.99 as of July. Save $4.99 by downloading this 700 page saga for free today.
http://tinyurl.com/knqmrko
***Support Indie Authors by sharing promotions, and reading and reviewing. & Most importantly, word of mouth, by telling your book buds about this amazing steal***
Good Girl: UPDATE Your Kindle Copy
Good Girl’s revamped edition is now available on Amazon at a special republish sale price of 99 pennies. *limited time only* List Price: $4.99 **Purchase on Amazon**
Q&A:
Do I need to reread the revamped edition if I previously read Good Girl: Yes. GG’s 1st edition was 120,000 words & 50 chapters. GG’s Revamped edition is 220,000 words and 86 chapters. Storyline threads have been deleted. Every scene has been rewritten with many deleted. The main premise has been changed. Characters have evolved. The genre has changed from Erotica to Romance. The series title has changed from Playroom to Blended. Major editing. My apologies. GG is the foundation of the Blended series, and while writing Widow I hit major roadblocks that needed eliminated. GG will go through one more major edit when I edit the print proof for publishing into paper, but nothing will change other than those pesky errors. So if you find mistakes… after thousands of hours of staring at GG, sorry, I’m not touching it for at least a month.
Do I need to repurchase a copy of Good Girl: NO! Please, do not repurchase. I don’t wish to be paid twice for the same book, even though it is vastly different. Repurchasing GG will NOT give you the latest edition. Even if you delete GG off of your Kindle Library/Account, Amazon’s database still sees it as just re-downloading the previous copy while taking your hard-earned money. DO NOT REPURCHASE!!! I tried this myself, and was saddled with the same copy after spending a buck.
Will deleting the copy off of my device and re-downloading update my copy: No. I also tried this in the past.
Will an update be available through Amazon: Yes. Patience, please. At the bottom of this posting, I will c/p my email correspondence with Amazon to keep you informed.
Is there a way to update my copy until Amazon issues an official update: Yes. Manually through Amazon’s customer service. I will list a tutorial that Angela prepared for us from her experience. She said it took a total of 8 minutes from start to finish. So do not be intimidated by the steps.
How will I know if I have the updated edition: The title page will list that this is the Revamped/revised Edition February, 2014 & the Kindle Copies will say this on top of every page: Good Girl (Blended)
What do I do if I want to keep my old edition of Good Girl but also obtain the revamped edition: Screen shot your kindle library with Good Girl showing as proof of purchase, email me the image at: wickedwriter.ericachilson@gmail.com. I will email you the newest copy.
Here is my email from Amazon:
We received your request to provide updated content to customers who purchased your book. Thanks for providing specific details about the changes made. We’ll perform a review of the changes to determine the most appropriate way to describe the updates to your customers. This review will complete within four weeks, and the possible results of our review are listed below.
1. If the changes made to your content are considered critical, we’ll email all customers who own the book to notify them of the update and improvements made. These customers will be able to choose to opt in to receive the update through the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com. www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/manage
2. If the changes made to your content are considered minor, we won’t be able to notify all customers by email, but we will activate their ability to update the content through the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com.
3. If the changes made to your content have caused unexpected critical issues with the book content, we’ll temporarily remove your book from sale. We’ll notify you of any issues found so you can fix them. Once the improvements are made, just let us know and we’ll then email customers as in case 1.
*****
While researching, I also see that you’ve already purchased the book “Good Girl” and a content update is available for your device.
At this time, customers who have purchased a Kindle book cannot automatically download the revised content. Our technical team is aware of this issue, and are working towards automating this process.
In the meantime, we can manually send the updated content to your device. Before we send it, you should be aware that once the new content is received, features such as Highlights, Last Page Read and Bookmarks will be removed and the locations of notes may not match in the updated copy of your book.
Erica again: as you can see from my email, you can manually have Amazon update your edition for you. Below will be the steps in how to go about this. You can do chat as below, or call Amazon for assistance. Please give Angela a huge thank you for writing this up for us. 😀
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.
Can you over-edit?
Yes!
Good Girl’s final edit and the beta process have taught me that you can, in fact, over-edit your work. I write in first person, present tense. I am the character as I write. I am in their head, expressing their thoughts and actions on paper. During an edit, I am no longer the character. I become the editor. It’s hard to step back and not mess with the flow. Yes, when you wear your editor hat you have to check for grammar, punctuation, misspelled and misused words, redundancy, and bad habits, WITHOUT stepping on the other voices. But there comes a point when your characters no longer sound like your characters and begin to sound just like you. It’s called your author voice, and it carries over into everything you create. The line you should never cross is the editor voice. If you find yourself second-guessing words, replacing them- prettying them up, you’ve crossed that line.
Since I completely revamped Good Girl, I sent it to way, way too many people to check over my work and look for mistakes. I entered the ‘too many cooks in the kitchen‘ zone. Betas are invaluable, and I can never express how thankful I am that they are willing to give me their time and opinions. But, at the end of the day, this is my creation. The large grouping of betas gave me great insight into how you can over-edit. A few over-thought the process, becoming head-blind and only noting one thing, to the point they didn’t see anything else. This was valuable to me, because it showed me how I was doing the same thing. It is called a beta read for a reason. They are to ‘read‘ and note anything that yanks them from the story, and I need that. That is what annoys purchasing readers and reviewers. But with too many betas, you begin to have too many ‘voices’.
I am the one who has to rewrite the draft, because I am the only one who knows the characters. I am the one that has to rewrite the draft, because it is my author voice that created the characters. It has been an uphill battle to overlook everything that wasn’t necessary during the editing process. I kept second-guessing myself. “Maybe they are right.” “Maybe this sucks.” And then I realize that the sentence structure was not my sentence structure, that it began to take on the cadence of the beta reader. And that is why it’s not called Beta ‘edit’ or Beta ‘write’.
Whether wrong or right in the eyes of a ‘professional’, it has nothing to do with my storytelling. Two of my favorite authors are without a doubt butchers of the English language. Does that make me love them any less? Hell, no! It makes them unique. Now, I’m not talking sloppy, lazy writing. I’m speaking of their voice and the way their stories unfold, be it the flow of their words or the way they put it to paper. If you handed me a passage of their writing without stating who it was, I could accurately say who wrote it. That everlasting impression is what captivated me and kept me entertained for years. It’s what makes me salivate for their new releases- waiting more than a year per book. I want to be that for my readers, flaws and all.
Voice is more important than anything in my eyes, for without it, everything else just falls flat. It’s when you’re reading a book that is perfect but boring. Currently my character is a flawed 18 year old girl. I don’t care if the dialogue is flawed because what 18 yo, let alone a 35 yo, speaks perfectly? I’m not speaking of a jumbled up mess with shitty editing. There is a delicate balance between allowing your character’s voice to shine alongside the author voice, without infringing upon it with the editor voice.
How many times do I write one sentence? Dozens- at least. By the time I get the ‘beta copy‘ back from the betas, I’ve already rewritten that sentence again once or twice. That is why I try to stress that I’m only looking for the things that are off, because everything else is never the same. I will use this mortifying example: Panty vs Pantry. Yes, Erica wrote Panty in place of Pantry, not once, but TWICE. Isis gained an evil (good?) twin named Iris two times as well. I had a sLiver tank top versus a siLver tank top. Suz and her ‘inequity’ had me imagining a bunch of lawyers sitting around a table in their den. Iniquity 😉 Puts a whole new spin on a den of ‘inequity’, eh? My point being, what is more embarrassing: a missing comma or getting food out of your panties? While some lawyers are sexy, not all of them are. So I don’t think I’d enjoy a den of them, would you?
By the time I get the beta copies back, the odds that the words are shuffled around in the sentence and the punctuation has been fiddled with are about 100%. But the majority of the words remain the same. Those are the words my mind replaced on me. I become head-blind. This is why I need beta ‘readers’ to spot these words. I cannot stress this strongly enough. The editing is done ‘after‘ the beta ‘read’. Trust me; I know. I’ve been doing it for the past 13 days straight, twenty hours per day. (Hell, when was the last time I slept, anyway? I’m not joking. It’s 5 a.m. est, and I’ve yet to shut my eyes from the day before- I’m not writing or rewriting. All of my attention is solely focused on those dang rules- editing. I’ve learned my lesson from past horrors) Number one rule of writing: you NEVER edit while you write. You’ll get nowhere- FAST. It’s only good habits that keep your first three drafts from being a total disaster. There is a highly probable chance that those commas, periods, quote marks, ellipsis, and hyphens no longer exist. The betas receive a draft of many, not the final draft. It was one draft from being the gibberish in my head. That’s why I stress, “don’t over-think it.” Obviously I’m stressing this now for a reason 😉 *maniacal laughter*
I found myself going word-for-word, nit-picking, worrying that I was doing it wrong, and I was leaving my character and myself behind. If you look at anything too closely, you’ll find fault in it. A sentence is a string of words with endless possibilities of rearrangement. My character spewed them onto the page, and it is my job to make sure they make sense for the reader. But it is not for me to twist their words until they are no longer ‘their’ words. Writing a sentence is not complicated, unless you complicate it with over-thinking. You are expressing a thought, and nothing more.
What is complicated are the rules of your language, which vary by country, and are all up to interpretation. Writing rules change, and we can debate them to death. Oxford Comma debate, anyone? Chicken/egg? Let’s debate grammar and punctuation until it’s just a string of words that no longer read like a story, shall we? But those rules must also take a backseat to an area’s dialect. I only write characters in the North East for a specific reason- that is my region, with my dialect. If you use rules and forgo the dialect. FLAT. While perfect, it will be perfectly flat.
I cannot even guess the amount of hours I put into Good Girl. Thousands upon thousands of hours- all my hours. So it will be up to me to know what is best for the quarter of a million words that were my creation. I’m sure when it’s completed it will be flawed, that if someone wishes to tear it to shreds for their own entertainment, they will find enough wrong to do so. But as I said, a sentence is a string of words with endless possibilities… string your own sentence together, and then have the balls to withstand an army of backseat ‘editors’ dissecting it. I bet you get the same amount of variants as you do editors. You have no idea the amount of courage it takes to press publish, and how much more courage it takes to ignore the negativity. A writer has to possess quiet dignity and suffer in silence.
Good Girl is a story about a young woman learning to love herself, to be comfortable in her own skin. I had an epiphany this evening as I was editing. Me, Myself, and I get along famously with the hundreds of characters thriving in our mind, so why am I allowing anyone to enter my sanctuary? You can debate my writing style, but you will never debate me about my writing style.
Back to those rules: I play by the rules for the most part or my novels would be impossible to read. Anyone who knows me personally, or knows my ‘voice, should have figured out by now that I do not like being told what to do or how to do it.
I’m a rebel, and I’m perfectly fine with being perfectly flawed.
-peace out,
The Wicked Writer.
The Evolution of a novel: Good Girl
Many know that I’m editing Good Girl, but few know I’m completely rewriting it for publication into paper. The rewrite has been an eye-opener into my growth as a writer. I could go into great detail over the changes I’m making, the scenes added or subtracted, the abundance of words deleted, and the total restructuring of, not only the novel, but, the series as a whole. I’m not going to bore my readers(new & my faithful followers from the beginning) with over-explanation since it starts to sound like bragging or like I’m putting down my own work. I’m nothing if not humble… because this rewrite is a humbling experience to say the least. But I take great comfort in seeing my growth over the past sixteen months since I began writing Good Girl.
I’ve said time and time again that I was releasing Widow by such and such a date, only to go back on my word. Subconsciously I was stalling because something felt off… and then I knew. I knew what I needed to change for the betterment.
When I announced my rewrite in the M&M of Restraint group on Facebook, I was asked why I’d change a novel that was currently published. My answer was that as I grow as a writer, I want my books to evolve with me, and it would be disrespectful to the story and the readers to leave it… as less than it could be. But the reality of it is, Good Girl is the foundation of a 7 book series. If a foundation is weak, the entire series could crumble. I don’t work as hard as I do; I don’t create these characters, their worlds, and breathe life into them only to fail.
A story starts with a single thought and is fostered over thousands upon thousands of hours… and that’s not when you’re writing. Willow and company have been in my mind since their conception, over sixteen months ago.
Every. Single. Day.
As a constant reminder of failure, I retain a few glaringly detrimental plot devices from the M&M of Restraint series. I’m currently writing book 12 in that series, and I’d love. LOVE. to fix some things that are set in stone. My only recourse was to slowly arc the story in the correct direction… lesson learned, I’m not doing that to the Blended series. I’m fixing it in the beginning before I make more work for myself in a later installment.
I will announce that the Playroom series is now the Blended series, because the premise revolves entirely around a blended family, not the roving environment of Augustus Kline’s creation. I also changed the genre from Erotica to Contemporary Romance and Erotic Romance, also because the focus is not on the lifestyle. M&M is hardcore, dark and twisted, mysterious and suspenseful, with a hefty dose of kink. That is not what I want from the Blended series.
My thoughts: if I wanted my two series to be identical, I’d just write more books in a particular series. In the beginning, before I knew better, I’d read reviews. A handful of reviews stated Good Girl wasn’t like the M&M series, and this was in a negative tone. No, Good Girl is not like the M&M series… because it’s NOT the M&M series. It’s the Blended series and they are nothing alike.
I needed completely opposite ends of the spectrum from my series. M&M is the scandalous tales of the rich and twisted. Blended is the real life issues of a blended family struggling to survive in mainstream America, while they endure the stresses of combining a two large families while one of their own battles drug and alcohol addiction. Blended is regular folks… and I’m okay with that. Sometimes you need to experience heartbreak and triumph from a source outside of your personal life so you can deal when real shit hits the fan- a story to draw strength from.
Each and every one of these characters is connected through blood or blended through marriage. The ties that bind have absolutely nothing to do with the roving playroom and everything to do with the blending of a family; hence my decision to change the series title. Their ages range from fourteen to forty and, with the exception of Good Girl, every book is an HEA book; hence the need to change the genre to Contemporary Romance.
The Blended series begins with Willow Prynne’s journey from a disillusioned teenager to a mature young woman. Good Girl has a brand-spanking new synopsis:
There aren’t many options for a girl who falls in the middle. I wasn’t an athlete or a geek. I wasn’t an artist or a musician. I didn’t shake my pom-poms along with my ass. I was just a good girl who got good grades and kept her mouth shut. I didn’t date my high school sweetheart and promptly get married the second I was handed my diploma. I’m not shiny enough to attract notice, nor dark enough to be a problem.
I don’t have a tragic sob story. My daddy didn’t leave us destitute and I’m not a victim of a bad neighborhood. I am a middle-America, middle of the road, middle class girl with both parents fussing over their youngest daughter, who has no aspirations or goals. I’ve had every opportunity to succeed- supportive parents, stability, and a strong upbringing. I’m wayward and everyone looks at me like I’m an alien.
My philosophy: how should I know what I want to do with the rest of my life the day I graduate? How am I supposed to know the second I turn eighteen what I am destined to become? One moment you are a disillusioned seventeen-year-old with the world at your fingertips, and the next, congratulations, you’re eighteen and you’re on your own.
With all the changes, I hope that the series appeals to the mainstream and deviants alike. The Blended series rides the edge of both categories and I believe it will be mind-opening for the former group and entertaining for the latter.
While writing Widow, I found many stumbling blocks. One was an event that was hard to swallow. The Widower sickened the Widow when she found out what transpired, creating a major point of contention within their budding marriage. From a parental standpoint: it was beyond disturbing. From a teenaged idiot standpoint: it was fun and exciting, thrilling, and equally fucking stupid… just like a real teenager would behave.
While I didn’t regret the scene, (it wasn’t one of those plot devices I wished out of existence), it was difficult to write and read. I didn’t want it to be sexy even though it’s perceived in that light. I wrote it in a impersonal, clinical manner with little to no description, and it barely took the length of one page. This scenes was the catalyst for every mistake thereafter… and responsible for the majority of Willow’s growth.
Willow’s future view on this moment in time vastly differs from how she felt in the moment. I added a caveat to appease my reservations. For the first time ever, I added a passage written in the future tense about the present tense, and I hope I accomplished my goal. For those of you who read Good Girl in any of its editions, you’ll know where this occurs in the timeline. .. and if you can’t place it, then that shows you just how much I’ve altered Good Girl.
There are moments in your life that you can never get back- the tipping point. These are the moments you simultaneously wish you could change yet keep forever the same. A time when your older self wants to transport back in time and scream STOP at your younger self, and perhaps slap the stupid out of you while you visit. You tell yourself pretty lies to cover the agony of betrayal. At some point, your future self accepts reality as it is and no longer believes the lie. But in present time, the only thing that saves you from life’s bitter truths is the lie you weave for yourself- the altered perception of reality that blinds you to the mistake you’re making. It’s a knife’s edge that can either be wielded to protect you or cut you, and either way it alters the core of who you are, who you were meant to be, and who you become.
This is the first of those moments for me- the first of many.
Days, weeks, years from now, I’ll wish I had analyzed what was happening and put an end to it. I won’t regret, because tonight’s actions, and those after, lead me on a path of enlightenment- a path I earned through mistakes. I’ll forever rue my teenage ignorance in trusting when I shouldn’t. As it is now, my mind is spinning, unable to light on one thought, let alone the dozens flitting around in a stew of confusion and unbridled lust.
The Blended series revolves around the following main characters, each of whom will get a voice within the series:
*titles listed in series order and subject to change, with all books after Good Girl sharing narration*
*shared narration does not equate romantic entanglements*
Good Girl:Willow Prynne.
Widow: Clover Webster & Malcolm Mason.
Wayward: Robin Prynne, Isis Mason, & Augustus Kline.
Waver: Willow Prynne, Devon Mason, & Kieren Mason.
Warped: Essie Prynne & TBA.
Wicked: Violet Webster & Raven Mason.
Wanted: Seth Webster & Weston Mason.
… and yes, I was tempted to either change Good Girl to Willow or Wanton to follow suit with the rest of the titles. But as the foundation of the Blended series, I wanted Good Girl to stick out, just as its single narration and lack of an HEA. Good Girl was merely an introduction to a vast cast of characters that longed to tell you their stories.
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~
The Hunter: LIVE
The Hunter: Mistress & Master of Restraint, #10 is Live on Amazon for $4.99. Will be available on B&N shortly. You can add it to your Goodreads shelves as well. Cortez would appreciate it if you could share the links and spread the love around.
Cortez Abernathy, the modern day whipping boy. The orphan always walked alongside the man he was destined to shadow, enjoying the wealth, the indulgences, the influence, and the opportunities of the elite. Ezra Holden Zeitler was coddled, protected because he was the last of his family’s line. The heir would act out, and fearing Ezra’s tantrums and his mental illness, Cortez took the blame… the consequences… the punishments.
From the outside looking in, Cortez is selfish, lazy, and untrustworthy. Cortez tries to scream the truth, but no one ever takes him seriously- never listens. “Ezra did it!” In actuality, Cort is brutally honest while his lips twist into a charming smirk and his eyes glisten with amusement.
This life, this game, Ezra, has taken a toll on Cortez. The whipping boy only had one thing to call his own. It was inborn, a passion for words. The latest punishment rendered Cortez blocked, left to walk an endless abyss of an empty imagination. Without Cort’s ability to delve into his imaginary worlds, he was forced to live in reality.
Lost… confused… Cortez Abernathy struggles to survive.
One simple acknowledgement frees Cortez’s words. “Daddy.” The muse awakens from her long slumber and demands that Cortez go back to the beginning. Cortez Abernathy begins writing a memoir, The Hunter. As he pours his soul onto the pages, he begins to heal.
No longer lost or confused, Cortez realizes he doesn’t have to walk in Ezra’s shadow. Whether beside Ezra or without Ezra, Cortez will survive.
The Mistress & Master of Restraint Series begins with Restraint. (Title is the link to Amazon US)
-Series order- Restraint Unleashed Dexter Dalton Jaded Queened Checkmate KING Faithless The Hunter
Jaded, Queened, and Checkmate also available in a discounted omnibus edition- QUEEN.
Begin the Playroom series with Good Girl. Playroom #2, Widow, coming soon…
Stay up to date with Erica Chilson by joining her mailing list for The Wicked Newsletter. Two mailings per month, jam-packed with wickedness, and immediate notification of New Releases. -Click Here to add your email-
Coming Soon:
Silenced, M&M #11, Grant Whittenhower. September.
Integrated, M&M #12, Ezra Zeitler. October
Widow, Playroom #2. September/October
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 