Tag: revising

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The smiling edition…

Elodie

WUW7

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I’m beta reading TWO amazing manuscripts. Did I mention they were AMAZING?
I’m one lucky reader, let me tell you!

What I’m Writing

I’ve received my notes from my editor and am currently incorporating some changes. I’m pretty much excited now about ALL my scenes. I’m not saying they’re easy to polish. Some of them are HARD, but falling in love all over again with your story is priceless.
Here’s a part I shared on Twitter. I love this scene!

What else I´ve been up to

Jogging with the hubby. Helps balancing everything.
Jogging
Enjoying the unofficial beginning of Spring.
Spring
Creating my UNNAMED but YET AWESOME Team. Really, so thankful for the ladies who joined. And yes, I already shared some super duper secret information with them, as well as a very awkward video 😛

What inspires me right now

The amazing ladies who have joined my team already and all the support I keep on receiving during this adventure ❤

My cover. My designer sent me samples which I shared with my team and I think we all agree on THE ONE. It captures the heart of my story so much, it’s amazing. And I love it. And I can’t believe it.

And Christa. Yes, I know Christa is a constant inspiration (despite her not realizing it) but this week, she announced something extra special. I know I´ll be buying a few more copies to donate.

This is what she said:

“I’m going to give all the income I make from Fault Line book sales during Lent to the Voices and Faces Project in order to help fund more testimonial writing workshops for survivors.”  ❤

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

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revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The wonderful Valentine´s Day edition

Elodie


WUW Winter Holly 1

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

And I´m really enjoying it!

What I’m Writing

I’m still revising my YA thriller and drafting my YA contemporary romance novel. I´ve been sick a bit so unfortunately this had an impact on my productivity, but I think I can catch up to my weekly goals.
What else I´ve been up to
The Chemical Engineer–aka my amazing husband–organized a Valentine´s Day weekend. By the Rhine. In a gorgeous hotel. With yummy food.
And fun excursions just the two of us.
Basically, it was amazing!
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What inspires me right now

So many things…but I´ll focus on this quote

(even though I posted it last week on my brand new Facebook page :-))

This conversation with my husband. I think it might deserve an entire post at some point. He´s very encouraging and was mainly joking but it got me thinking, hence future post

And this wonderful wonderful package received on Monday.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The “So many awesome books out” edition…

Elodie

WUW Winter Holly 1

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I’m halfway through THE PIPER’S SON by Melina Marchetta and I fell hard for this book.
“She misses him more now than when he was away”
― Melina Marchetta, The Piper’s Son
Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca – but five years have passed, and now it’s Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can’t forget. Shooting for oblivion, he’s hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom’s in no shape to mend what’s broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper’s Son redefines what it means to go home again.

What I’m Writing

Thanks #WriterRecharge (more info here if you want to join), I’ve been quite productive these past days:
  • I have 1000 words of my new WiP ALWAYS SECOND BEST and I’m in love with the characters already
  • I revised one chapter of DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL.
  • And on Sunday, I finished a round of revision for ONE TWO THREE, and sent it off to a certain someone 🙂

What else I´ve been up to

  • So many things. Some of which I still cannot say. I thought I might be able to announce it on Friday but it looks like it’s going to be next week. Stay tuned.
  • I’ve helped celebrating the launch of ALIENATED by Melissa Landers yesterday and you can still win a NOOK here 🙂

What inspires me right now

My friends who also happen to be writers 🙂 and who I have been pestering with emails these past two weeks. Thank you! ❤

#WriterRecharge  which comes really at a perfect moment of time.

And then…the release of Rebecca’s book!

And the release of Erin Bowman’s novella STOLEN...and Melissa’s ALIENATED.

This oh-so-honest blog post by Dahlia about how she “does it all” and putting a bit of perspective into that very particular concept.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The “I can’t wait to tell you” edition…

Elodie

WUW Winter Holly 1

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I just started SAVING FRANCESCA by Melina Marchetta. Her book JELLICOE ROAD is one of my favorites (Really, pick it up if you haven´t already read it)
Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastians, a boys’ school that’s pretends it’s coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can’t seem to stop thinking about.Then there’s Francesca’s mother, who always thinks she knows what’s best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.

What I’m Writing

I’ve been looking again at ONE TWO THREE, writing a new story and revising DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL.
So busy busy.
Here´s an excerpt – I just added it so it´s not yet edited – from ONE TWO THREE (my YA contemporary romance)

My pointes show wear and tear of the years I’ve used them and no matter how much I scrub, there’s one smudge that doesn’t want to go away. Memories flash back when I slip them on: my father handing me  a bouquet of lilies after each of my recitals, the crew from the School of Performing Arts sneaking out to get ice cream, the summers I spent here with my best friend Becca and my Nana, the hours at the barre, my piano lessons. Everything’s gone. 

The pain in my knee is latent, reminding me of what I lost, but I clench my teeth and face the bench using it as my own personal barre.  I slowly bend my knees, keeping them over my toes. Grounding my heels on the floor, I stretch down as much as I can but I don´t make it past a demi-plié.  I warm up for ten minutes, losing myself in the familiar movements. Maybe the doctors got it wrong, maybe I´ll be able to dance on stage again. The stars reflect on the water,  it could be the perfect backdrop for a production of the Swan Lake.

I try a grand jeté, but my foot isn’t angled properly, my knee isn’t used to carrying all my weight. Instead of gracefully landing with my left leg still in the air, I fall on my ass. Air leaves my lungs and the tears I’ve been fighting fall steadily on my face. 

What else I´ve been up to

I redesigned my website…and have been working on a few things behind the scenes.
I cannot wait to let you all know what those are.
Stay tuned.
Oh and my hubby decided to grill shashlik in T-shit in January, as one does (they were yummy!)
2014-01-19_1390149825

What inspires me right now

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The first edition of 2014

Elodie

WUW Winter Holly 1

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

 I am reading two wonderful books at the moment:
One about to be published this year.

The writing is gorgeous and the story captivating. I´m half-way through the story and have a hard time putting it down.

In parallel, I´m beta-reading an AMAZING YA novel by Jen Malone. I cannot tell you how much I´m enjoying the story. Loving it! (and you guys she has an MG coming out during the summer – it sounds great!)

What I’m Writing

I have the feeling I´ve been revising for months. Oh, wait. I have 🙂 My goal is to finish revising in January but this new twist I introduced requires major rewriting. I really think it´s making my story much stronger, so I need to power through!
Here´s a little bit I´m not sure I´ll keep but which gives a bit more insight into Erin´s past.

My shoulders slouch. I remember how everything changed after I testified. The way my best friend Summer was no longer allowed to play with me. We had promised to be BFFs and Summer snuck around to meet me but when her parents found out, she got into so much trouble that she stopped talking to me. One morning, some kids threw chewing gum in my hair and they taunted Summer to do it too. Tears sprung to her eyes but she did take the bubblegum from her mouth and in one swift movement it landed in my ponytail.  I sobbed in the corner after class, trying to get the bits out with the help of the teacher who apologized over and over again for not seeing anything. Summer passed by me without saying a word.  Mama had to cut  my hair super short that night. I don’t want that for my little brother.

What else I´ve been up to

I spent the holiday season at home in France and at my in-laws in the south of Germany, enjoying family time and celebrating my husband´s birthday.
For Christmas, I received my first slow cooker and I have been enjoying some yummy meals out of it.
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What inspires me right now

My word for 2014: Balance.

and everyone else´s goals and resolutions and thoughts about the new year. So. Much. Inspiration. ❤

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The busy bee edition…

Elodie

WUW Winter Holly 1

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

 Well…I forgot my Kindle and to bring a book with me today. Which means of course that I have to go to the bookstore to buy one during my lunch break. Because as my husband correctly pointed out (he knows me well), not having a book with me is dramatic.

What I’m Writing

 Revising. Revising. Revising.

What else I´ve been up to

Working a lot. I was in the US last week for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! but work is taking a LOT of my time right now.

What inspires me right now

Dahlia had her cover reveal. You can check it out here and even enter to win an ARC.

Rebecca is the sweetest and agreed to sign a copy of her book for my niece when it comes out. You can pre-order your book here.

And the mentors of Pitch Wars selected their mentees, did you know that Erin has been chosen as an alternate? You should definitely go and congratulate her…

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The Thanksgiving edition…

Elodie

What´s Up Wednesday

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

I´m switching it up today because I need to finish getting ready for our trip to the USA. We´re leaving today for Maryland…where we´ll spend Thanksgiving 🙂 It´s been forever since we spent Thanksgiving in the US and I´m very excited. I´m responsible for the mashed potatoes (garlic red and sweet).

In the plane I might try to revise. I won´t be ready for Pitch Wars but…I got a breakthrough…

And then…this also made me feel better.

I´m so thankful for my husband, my family, my friends and all of you. Writing can be lonely but it definitely doesn´t like it thanks to you!

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The November 6th edition

Elodie

What´s Up Wednesday

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

 

HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno which I picked up thanks to this amazing review by Katy.

And as mentioned on Twitter.

 

What I’m Writing

 
I´m revising. This weekend I finished revising my first 50 pages again.
And…I´ve started working on my query. Thanks again Alison for keeping up with my crazies.
This isn´t the final version but see below what my story is about.

Ever since escaping the town her serial-killer father terrorized, sixteen-year-old Erin Holtz has had one goal: blend in —but keeping her secret gets complicated when she starts receiving death threats.

Erin´s got the fake it ´till you feel it down to a science. Despite the threats, she swallows her fears and plasters her cheerleader smile on her face. Her life soon turns into a nightmare: her Nana dies in an “accident” and a girl from school decides to blackmail her. Even resident hottie and Pulitzer Prize wannabe Malik might know more about her than he lets on. Her father’s claims that there is another killer seem like another plot for attention and Erin doesn’t believe him for one second. After all, she should know, he tricked her into choosing his victims.

However, doubts linger when her blackmailer ends up dead with little angels carved into her face—her father´s trademark. To stop this madness, Erin has to face him and the demons of her past. Otherwise, she might be the next angel to die.

DADDY´S LITTLE ANGEL is a young adult suspense novel, complete at 65,000 words.  I think it would appeal to readers of THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING by Ashley Elston.

 

What else I´ve been up to

 
Almost two weeks ago, hubby and I spent the weekend in Hamburg. We saw Jay-Z in concert and wow, this was really an AMAZING weekend!!!
 
:-)
Managed to catch a pic of the little boy…
 
Kind of blurry but this was AMAZING!
Kind of blurry but this was AMAZING!
The view from our breakfast room...
The view from our breakfast room…
 

What inspires me right now

Katy and Alison started NaNoReviseMo to finish revising their manuscript this month.If you want to join them, you should totally check them out.

My goal: to be ready for PitchWars

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

writing

My writing schedule or how to make sure I’m ready for PITCH WARS

Elodie

Ready. Set. Write! over the summer really helped me get into a writing schedule and I think I need to implement another one to finish this revision.

My goal?

Enter my manuscript into PITCH WARS, which means I have until the end of November to polish it. Last year, I was an alternate in PITCH WARS (with the extraordinary Dahlia) and I learned so much. Plus I met many wonderful writers (read amazing manuscripts!!!).

Submission window is on 12/2

And it’s the perfect contest for GUILTY (or DADDY’s LITTLE ANGEL, I’m still unsure about the title) since I haven’t queried it yet.

To make this happen, I need to sit my butt on the chair (while keeping a balance and not growing a saggy middle–in my manuscript :P)

  • Monday mornings: revise from 5am to 6.15am
  • Tuesday mornings: Jog from 5am to 5.30am – revise in the train to work
  • Wednesday mornings: revise from 5am to 6.15am
  • Thursday mornings: workout from 5am to 5.30am – revise in the train to work
  • Friday mornings: revise from 5am to 6.15am

During the weekends: revise at least an hour on Saturday and an hour on Sunday.

I am allowed to take one day off from waking up early but need to jog at least once a week. With this schedule, I should be able to finish this revision round by November 12th.

November 12th. This should be feasible, no?

Tell me, do you have a writing schedule?

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The October 9th edition

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I beta read the first 50 pages of a creepy, awesome manuscript.https://twitter.com/commutinggirl/status/387263112665374720

And…I am super excited to dive into SKY JUMPERS by Peggy Eddleman. Peggy was one of the first bloggers I followed and interacted with and she´s as sweet as the cookies she puts on display.

And her book is AMAZING!  I

What I’m Writing

You know this revision I´ve been talking about? Yep, still on-going and still plowing and powering through. But the good news? I re-read some chapters yesterday and realized it wasn´t half-bad. So there´s that.

What else I´ve been up to

Last weekend, we were visiting family and that´s always fun. Plus look at the cake our cousin baked. YUMMY.
Black forest cake with Gioto candies.
Cake
Waking up extra early to jog at least once a week with The Chemical Engineer. 5.36am is when I came back home after 25 minutes of painful but rewarding exercise.
Jogging
Hubby and I have started watching BREAKING BAD. And WOW!!!
Breaking bad
And today I´m off to Geneva for work…

What inspires me right now

So many things. But in a nutshell, my writer friends: their good news, their dedication, their happy moments.

Christa´s book launch party

Did you pre-order FAULT LINE already? You can do so at IndieBound,Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

This is from her Facebook author page – and this makes me SO happy!

Rebecca unveiling her cover

Jen unveiling her cover

Katy setting her Fall goals

if you want to cheer her on, see her post here.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂