#SweetsForLove, writing

WIP Wednesday…

Are you ready for a little snippet from #SweetsForLove (set to Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift – Taylor’s version :-))?

“Are you a serial killer?”

The words tumble out of my mouth.

He raises one amused eyebrow. “Nope.”

“Married? Engaged? Seeing someone?”

“Nope. Nope. And nope.”

“Me either.”

And because he has no idea who I am. And because this won’t hurt anyone. And because I’m tired of being too careful…

“Can I kiss you?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

“Can I kiss you back?”

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Numbers: A TikTok Experiment As an Indie Author (the yay, the nay, and what it costs), pre-order numbers and more A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
  1. Numbers: A TikTok Experiment As an Indie Author (the yay, the nay, and what it costs), pre-order numbers and more
  2. Writing and revising, Author Taxes & the Emergency Room: 3 Days in My Self-Published Life
  3. Numbers: Amazon blocked one of my e-books (one that had been live for ten years)
  4. ROMO Or My Reality (Realities) Of Missing Out In the Self-Publishing World…
  5. Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book.
writing

The Next Big Thing…

I´ve been tagged for The Next Big Thing blog hop by several wonderful people with awesome projects:

  • Robin is writing a YA horror novel (with ghosts!)
  • Rachel is writing a YA contemporary some of her readers have compared to an angrier THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE
  • Heather wrote a YA paranormal (that I personally felt had a flair of Christopher Pike´s REMEMBER ME 🙂

My WiP is still a first draft. I´m actually a bit under 35k into it and I haven´t talked about it much on this blog…so here we go:

What is the working title of your book?

So far: GUILTY….it might also change to ANGEL FACE…hmmm not sure.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

When I was a teenager, I had to write a paper in my German class and I think it was on the death penalty. I read a book by Victor Hugo as one of my sources. The one called The Last Day of a Condemned Man. One never knows exactly what happened to the protagonist, or what his crimes are but one of the things that really stayed with me for a long time is how the family of The Condemned Man suffers…and then recently, this particular point came back to me and I wondered how a teenage girl would do with her dad in jail. How her family was targeted when he got arrested. How she dealt with everything but the past is now coming back to haunt her. This idea mixed with the idea of beauty pageants…and the rest is history. Or well about 35k so far 😛

What genre does your book fall under?

YA romantic suspense

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Erin (yes, one can dream, no?)

Malik

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

No. Nope. Not yet. Okay all I have is this and please note this a total draft!

Seventeen-year-old Erin may have found a way to pay her way to Yale: becoming the next Miss Teen America. That is if she can keep the fact she´s the daughter of a serial killer secret. But, when Pulitzer Prize wannabee and forever crush Malik decides to write a story about her and people start being targeted, Erin realizes there may be more at stake than a crown. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’d love to find an agent. Someone who will fall head over heels for my book and champion it. I guess time will tell 😀

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’m still on it.

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

Hmm it’s a tough one. It has a bit of a feel of THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING by Ashley Elston.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Beauty Queen pageants. Kisses. BFFs. Murder. Debate team. Journalism. Grandparents.  And more…

You´re all tagged! If you want to do it that is 😀