Here is the official book trailer for On the Edge. We have Shannan to thank for this trailer. Big ol' shout out of love and respect to her. I think her and her husband deserve a dinner out, on me, for all the hard work. Her poor husband lost hours with his wife and probably had to hear her stress out over this trailer. It was not easy for her to do because of the abuse that had to be portrayed in the trailer. Watching videos depicting violence is hard for a caring person to watch and it can cause and unheard of amount of anxiety.
Release date is still up in the air, but we do know that it will NOT be releasing anywhere near June 1st. We are looking more at April 1st or 15th. Again, this information will be released in a blog, FaceBook and Twitter. Enjoy the trailer and, please, like us and the video on YouTube.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
March Update
Well my lovelies,
On the Edge is progressing nicely through the publishing phase. I am very particular about my books and like to make sure that I have none to very few errors so it's taking a lot longer to get through all of the editing stages for his book. As of right now, I caught 1 error before my proof even came in. As soon as the proof is in, I will take 3-5 days to read every line of the book and make changes as needed or maybe even add a little to the book before revising and ordering more proofs. Regardless, release date is still June 1st and I will make sure that it not released after that date, even if I have to work 7 days a week to get the book (both print and digital) ready. When we first release, it will be available in the United States, Canada and Europe.
I had surgery yesterday (3/17) but I still managed to get a few things done with the book. So long as I'm not dopey or groggy, I am sitting or laying to recover which gives me plenty of time to tinker with the book and even draft up book 2. Now, I know some authors' release the next book in a trilogy or a series 6-12 months after the first book, but I plan on releasing the next book 3-6 months (preferably 3 months) after the first book. My overall goal is to release all 3 books by November and have box set out by Christmas. :-)
On the Edge is progressing nicely through the publishing phase. I am very particular about my books and like to make sure that I have none to very few errors so it's taking a lot longer to get through all of the editing stages for his book. As of right now, I caught 1 error before my proof even came in. As soon as the proof is in, I will take 3-5 days to read every line of the book and make changes as needed or maybe even add a little to the book before revising and ordering more proofs. Regardless, release date is still June 1st and I will make sure that it not released after that date, even if I have to work 7 days a week to get the book (both print and digital) ready. When we first release, it will be available in the United States, Canada and Europe.
I had surgery yesterday (3/17) but I still managed to get a few things done with the book. So long as I'm not dopey or groggy, I am sitting or laying to recover which gives me plenty of time to tinker with the book and even draft up book 2. Now, I know some authors' release the next book in a trilogy or a series 6-12 months after the first book, but I plan on releasing the next book 3-6 months (preferably 3 months) after the first book. My overall goal is to release all 3 books by November and have box set out by Christmas. :-)
Friday, March 14, 2014
On the Edge playlist
So the book has mention of quite a few songs in it. They are all amazing songs and the wonderful and talented, Shannan, has put them in a youtube playlist. Enjoy everyone.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Behind the Scenes
So, it's been a little over a week since I announced the trilogy and started marketing and promoting. Shannan Lucckesi of Lucckesi Photography and I have accomplished a lot to prepare for the release of the first book, On the Edge, June 1st. With how much headway we are making, I am very confident that the book will be 100% ready for release that day on Amazon in both print and digital.
Now, I have to say, I may be the author of this book and you see me more than anything promoting and pushing for this book to succeed but there are many more people that are the glue that holds this all together. Shannan has done all the photoshoots and cover for the book. Furthermore, she is an admin on every page for the book. If it weren't for her we would not have any of these sites up and running and interlinked together. Big hands up to her for all of that! Also, she was the very first person to read and edit the rough draft of this book.
Next is Courtney Deaton, my cover model. She is a wonderful person and very easy to work with. When the book was completed, we needed a model. I sat around for hours thinking of who I could get to do this. Courtney was perfect and jumped up and accepted my offer without second thought. Now, this could be because I am her most favoritest cousin in the world. :-) Big shout out to my little girl (you will always be my little girl no matter how old you are) for helping me when I needed the help.
Next is Stephanie Kennel who, I may never have had the luxury of meeting in person, but she was the next editor in the book and caught a few grammatical errors that Shannan and I both missed along the way. How amazing is she?! If it weren't for her, this book would have comma issues galore!
Pam McElrath was my next editor. She loved the book and found very little errors (about 4 if I'm not mistaken). She made sure it was fully clean before I sent it off for proofs. Round of applause for our final editor.
Pam Nastali has been a mentor through the self publishing phase. Pam is writing a series of children's books with magical fairies and wands and so much more in it. Though her books aren't ready for publishing, if you're a Harry Potter fan I'm sure you'll find her books magical as well. They aren't just for kids. Adults can get lost in them too. So, I have to give a big shout out to her because she helped me with getting the paperbacks ready to go.
Now, for those that didn't physically work with the book but were inspirations I have to shout out to my husband, Blake Elliott, and best guy friend in the entire world, Nick Lucckesi. Let me tell you about these two guys in their own individuality.
First, my husband. This man had to endure all the psychological turmoil that I suffered after leaving my abuser. Let me tell you; I was NOT easy to get along with in the slightest. But, he stuck by me and had faith that I would recover from all of it and it paid off. I am now a better person and very glad to have him around during the drafting of the first book as well as the future books. He takes care of the kids, does laundry and even the dishes. I love this man with all my heart.
Nick was my rock when I was leaving my abuser. He came over the moment I was released from the hospital and just chilled with me while I cried and did whatever it was that I did during that time in my life. He was even my right hand man when I had to face my abuser in court. Then, to top things off, I took over a lot of his wife's time while creating this book. Nick truly is a wonderful person.
So, you see, there are many people involved in the execution of this series. I'm sure every one of these people will be a part of books 2 and 3 and we may see even more faces with the next two books. I just want everyone to know that publishing a book is not just the author, though that is the only name that is plastered everywhere. It's a group effort to get the book in tip top condition and ready to sell. I would not be promoting nor trying to sell this book if I didn't have others helping and if I didn't know it was good enough to stand against all the publishing houses books.
Now, I have to say, I may be the author of this book and you see me more than anything promoting and pushing for this book to succeed but there are many more people that are the glue that holds this all together. Shannan has done all the photoshoots and cover for the book. Furthermore, she is an admin on every page for the book. If it weren't for her we would not have any of these sites up and running and interlinked together. Big hands up to her for all of that! Also, she was the very first person to read and edit the rough draft of this book.
Next is Courtney Deaton, my cover model. She is a wonderful person and very easy to work with. When the book was completed, we needed a model. I sat around for hours thinking of who I could get to do this. Courtney was perfect and jumped up and accepted my offer without second thought. Now, this could be because I am her most favoritest cousin in the world. :-) Big shout out to my little girl (you will always be my little girl no matter how old you are) for helping me when I needed the help.
Next is Stephanie Kennel who, I may never have had the luxury of meeting in person, but she was the next editor in the book and caught a few grammatical errors that Shannan and I both missed along the way. How amazing is she?! If it weren't for her, this book would have comma issues galore!
Pam McElrath was my next editor. She loved the book and found very little errors (about 4 if I'm not mistaken). She made sure it was fully clean before I sent it off for proofs. Round of applause for our final editor.
Pam Nastali has been a mentor through the self publishing phase. Pam is writing a series of children's books with magical fairies and wands and so much more in it. Though her books aren't ready for publishing, if you're a Harry Potter fan I'm sure you'll find her books magical as well. They aren't just for kids. Adults can get lost in them too. So, I have to give a big shout out to her because she helped me with getting the paperbacks ready to go.
Now, for those that didn't physically work with the book but were inspirations I have to shout out to my husband, Blake Elliott, and best guy friend in the entire world, Nick Lucckesi. Let me tell you about these two guys in their own individuality.
First, my husband. This man had to endure all the psychological turmoil that I suffered after leaving my abuser. Let me tell you; I was NOT easy to get along with in the slightest. But, he stuck by me and had faith that I would recover from all of it and it paid off. I am now a better person and very glad to have him around during the drafting of the first book as well as the future books. He takes care of the kids, does laundry and even the dishes. I love this man with all my heart.
Nick was my rock when I was leaving my abuser. He came over the moment I was released from the hospital and just chilled with me while I cried and did whatever it was that I did during that time in my life. He was even my right hand man when I had to face my abuser in court. Then, to top things off, I took over a lot of his wife's time while creating this book. Nick truly is a wonderful person.
So, you see, there are many people involved in the execution of this series. I'm sure every one of these people will be a part of books 2 and 3 and we may see even more faces with the next two books. I just want everyone to know that publishing a book is not just the author, though that is the only name that is plastered everywhere. It's a group effort to get the book in tip top condition and ready to sell. I would not be promoting nor trying to sell this book if I didn't have others helping and if I didn't know it was good enough to stand against all the publishing houses books.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
My Story
My encounter with domestic violence was nothing compared to the character, Abigail Wilkinson, in On the Edge but it was still traumatic and life changing. I was 17 1/2 years old when I met my first husband. To me, he was my high school sweetheart. We were married just shortly after my 18th birthday and it wasn't long before I was in the hospital receiving head CT's and MRI's and several stitches in my head to close a gash that was inflicted by a man that was supposed to love me unconditionally for the rest of my life.
My ex husband and I were destined together because he was a wonderful friend of my ex boyfriend. When my boyfriend and I didn't work out, his friend was there to pick up the pieces of my broken heart and show me what love truly was. He was always there when I needed to talk and took me out on dates and showed me the love that I desired. So, it goes without mentioning that I didnt see the psychological abuse that he was inflicting on me. Looking back, I can see the situations where he was building me up and tearing me down. He would tell me I was beautiful and that he was lucky to have me. However, when he would become angry, he would quit talking to me and act as if he could have any other woman he wanted. For a girl with low self-esteem (I thought I was fat and ugly) this type of behavior can lead to her become desperate to keep her man. I would do things that I wasn't supposed to (see him when I was supposed to be working or talk on the phone after curfew) just to keep him from leaving me.
After several months of this, I turned 18 years old. At 18, that's when he started grappling with physical abuse. Nothing too severe at first. He punched a hole in the wall next to my head or he would push me or slap me. I just assumed this was love and how love was supposed to feel. After some time elapsed, he started punching me in my legs and thighs and leaving bruises where I could cover them. The sad part was that I was a criminal justice major and my instructors were all police officers or former police officers. To add more insult to injury, my best family friend was a police officer and I could have gone to him, his wife or his children seeking help and would have received it but I loved this man and didn't think I could do any better than him.
On October 31, 2002, I married my abuser in a courthouse ceremony in Idaho state. I was barely 18 years old and he was barely 20 years old. I thought he loved me but I found out that the only reason he married me was because a wife can't testify against a husband and I knew about a felony he committed and I was the lose link that needed tightening. (I didn't discover this until I was halfway through my divorce from him.)
Our marriage was not a marriage by any means. He was an utter ass to me and I stood around and took it. I dealt with the abuse because I didn't believe in divorce. January 12, 2003 marked 1 full year that he and I had been together. The night before, he went out with a friend and was doing drugs and having multiple affairs. It was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon on the 12th when I confronted him and told him that I was leaving. I couldn't do this anymore and I wanted my old life back (yes, I was over all of it and I really was leaving). He got angry and smashed my VCR to bits (yes, this was a time when VCR's were in and DVD players were just becoming popular). He walked out of the bedroom and I was seeing red. I grabbed his DVD player and threw it against the wall (bad move on my part!) He comes barreling in through the bedroom door with a drinking glass in his hand. He looked at what I did (the DVD player still worked. In fact, it just quit working last year (2013). He said something to me but I can't remember what it was. I just remember putting my hands over my face and my thumbs over my temples and bracing for the worst. The next thing I felt was a stinging sensation on the left side of my head and then it went numb. I felt liquid warmth running over my hands and remember thinking to myself, "I'm bleeding and I need to find help."
His step-father was outside working on a car and I went running down the hallway trying to get to him. The front door was open and I was screaming "Call 911. I'm bleeding!" His step-father got in the car and drove away. All I could do was continue to scream for help praying a neighbor would hear me.
He caught up to me and grabbed me by the back of my hair and drug me to the bathroom. He closed and locked the door and filled up the bath tub with water. I feared that he was going drown me but he surprised me. He grabbed my head and forced me in the water but he was trying to wash the blood out. Yes, he was holding my face under water and I was struggling but he never left me under for more than a few seconds.
He took me back in the room and proceeded to yell at me and tell me that this was all my fault. I piss him off and he can't control himself because I won't conform to the wife he wants me to be. I'm looking at the window as he's yelling at me and see 2 cop cars show up. I point this out to him and he bolts for the front door and locks it. He fights with the officers refusing to let them in. I'm praying that they will make entry and not leave me behind. Praise God, my prayers were answered. They threatened to break in to get to me if he didn't let them in. He lets them in and tells me to change clothes (my clothes were covered in blood). I only changed my shirt. There was no covering up the blood on my pants or the blood still seeping out of the wound in my head.
They knew what happened but I told them anyways and my husband was arrested for domestic violence. My step-mom came and picked me up and took me to the hospital. I'm unsure how many stitches I had, but I had to have stitches to stop the bleeding and I met with victim services and my grandparents took me home where I belonged.
My divorce was final on September 24, 2004 (took me a long time to get him served as he was in and out of prison). I was 20 years old and divorced. On November 5, 2004 I met a man that would be my husband and the father of my children. He showed me what it's like to truly be loved and respected and my poor husband has had to deal with the aftermath of the psychological and physical abuse done to me, but together, we have overcome that part of my life and are now happy and living life the way it should be.
My ex husband and I were destined together because he was a wonderful friend of my ex boyfriend. When my boyfriend and I didn't work out, his friend was there to pick up the pieces of my broken heart and show me what love truly was. He was always there when I needed to talk and took me out on dates and showed me the love that I desired. So, it goes without mentioning that I didnt see the psychological abuse that he was inflicting on me. Looking back, I can see the situations where he was building me up and tearing me down. He would tell me I was beautiful and that he was lucky to have me. However, when he would become angry, he would quit talking to me and act as if he could have any other woman he wanted. For a girl with low self-esteem (I thought I was fat and ugly) this type of behavior can lead to her become desperate to keep her man. I would do things that I wasn't supposed to (see him when I was supposed to be working or talk on the phone after curfew) just to keep him from leaving me.
After several months of this, I turned 18 years old. At 18, that's when he started grappling with physical abuse. Nothing too severe at first. He punched a hole in the wall next to my head or he would push me or slap me. I just assumed this was love and how love was supposed to feel. After some time elapsed, he started punching me in my legs and thighs and leaving bruises where I could cover them. The sad part was that I was a criminal justice major and my instructors were all police officers or former police officers. To add more insult to injury, my best family friend was a police officer and I could have gone to him, his wife or his children seeking help and would have received it but I loved this man and didn't think I could do any better than him.
On October 31, 2002, I married my abuser in a courthouse ceremony in Idaho state. I was barely 18 years old and he was barely 20 years old. I thought he loved me but I found out that the only reason he married me was because a wife can't testify against a husband and I knew about a felony he committed and I was the lose link that needed tightening. (I didn't discover this until I was halfway through my divorce from him.)
Our marriage was not a marriage by any means. He was an utter ass to me and I stood around and took it. I dealt with the abuse because I didn't believe in divorce. January 12, 2003 marked 1 full year that he and I had been together. The night before, he went out with a friend and was doing drugs and having multiple affairs. It was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon on the 12th when I confronted him and told him that I was leaving. I couldn't do this anymore and I wanted my old life back (yes, I was over all of it and I really was leaving). He got angry and smashed my VCR to bits (yes, this was a time when VCR's were in and DVD players were just becoming popular). He walked out of the bedroom and I was seeing red. I grabbed his DVD player and threw it against the wall (bad move on my part!) He comes barreling in through the bedroom door with a drinking glass in his hand. He looked at what I did (the DVD player still worked. In fact, it just quit working last year (2013). He said something to me but I can't remember what it was. I just remember putting my hands over my face and my thumbs over my temples and bracing for the worst. The next thing I felt was a stinging sensation on the left side of my head and then it went numb. I felt liquid warmth running over my hands and remember thinking to myself, "I'm bleeding and I need to find help."
His step-father was outside working on a car and I went running down the hallway trying to get to him. The front door was open and I was screaming "Call 911. I'm bleeding!" His step-father got in the car and drove away. All I could do was continue to scream for help praying a neighbor would hear me.
He caught up to me and grabbed me by the back of my hair and drug me to the bathroom. He closed and locked the door and filled up the bath tub with water. I feared that he was going drown me but he surprised me. He grabbed my head and forced me in the water but he was trying to wash the blood out. Yes, he was holding my face under water and I was struggling but he never left me under for more than a few seconds.
He took me back in the room and proceeded to yell at me and tell me that this was all my fault. I piss him off and he can't control himself because I won't conform to the wife he wants me to be. I'm looking at the window as he's yelling at me and see 2 cop cars show up. I point this out to him and he bolts for the front door and locks it. He fights with the officers refusing to let them in. I'm praying that they will make entry and not leave me behind. Praise God, my prayers were answered. They threatened to break in to get to me if he didn't let them in. He lets them in and tells me to change clothes (my clothes were covered in blood). I only changed my shirt. There was no covering up the blood on my pants or the blood still seeping out of the wound in my head.
They knew what happened but I told them anyways and my husband was arrested for domestic violence. My step-mom came and picked me up and took me to the hospital. I'm unsure how many stitches I had, but I had to have stitches to stop the bleeding and I met with victim services and my grandparents took me home where I belonged.
My divorce was final on September 24, 2004 (took me a long time to get him served as he was in and out of prison). I was 20 years old and divorced. On November 5, 2004 I met a man that would be my husband and the father of my children. He showed me what it's like to truly be loved and respected and my poor husband has had to deal with the aftermath of the psychological and physical abuse done to me, but together, we have overcome that part of my life and are now happy and living life the way it should be.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
On the Edge: A Look into the Author's Mind
On the Edge is a book about a young woman who finds herself in a dire situation that leaves her life hanging in the balance. On the Edge is a fictional book that talks about a subject that many teenagers and young adults know very little about; Domestice Violence. Growing up, I had witnessed domestic violence between my parents and even suffered child abuse but I was never taught was constituted domestic violence and what didn't. I thought hitting and slapping, you know the pysical stuff, was abuse. That is, until I suffered domestic violence first hand. It was then, that I realized-and of course over years of education-that domestic violence is psychological and emotional as well.
When drafting On the Edge, I was looking for a way to bring young adults (teenagers and early adults) to this book. How can I attract the audience that I deperately want? That was easy, make a fictional books with fictional characters and bring it situations that the age group understands. Get them hooked on the characters and the plot. So, with research on the "popular" things that young folks are into and many hours thumbing through FaceBook (not to mention many hours of seeing "duck faces" eek!) I finally created a plot for the book.
I did not create this book to try to become rich (actually it's rare to make millions on books). I wrote this book to get the word out about domestic violence and to get the population that is most susceptible to domestic violence aware that it exists. Did you know that the age group most affected by domestic violence are 16-24 year olds? I did not know that!
So, to sum up this blog, when I started writing this book, I thought about my past abuse (to be left for another day) and thought that "if I only knew what to look for" or "if someone else knew what to look for" maybe I would have saved myself pain and heartache. Then it clicked! I could save someone pain and heartache. That was when On the Edge began!
Sneak Peek
Want a chance to read the first few chapters of On The Edge before it's released? Now is your chance! Head over to the Facebook page HERE and give it a like. Contest is on the timeline. Good luck!
On The Edge
Book #1 of the series will be released this year!
Abigail Wilkinson is a high school senior who falls in love with
bad-boy, Tommy Jackson. Tommy seems like a great catch for the sweet
and innocent Abigail, but things are not always as they seem to be.
Tommy becomes possessive and controlling with each passing week of their
relationship before becoming violent and demanding. To complicate
matters, her brother’s friend, Jason Williamson, professes his love for
her but life isn’t as simple as leaving Tommy for Jason. Decisions and
circumstances leave Abby’s life on the edge of no return.
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