Update on Malcontent

Hello, everyone.

I am happy to report that, after months of writing, I am finally on the final chapter of Malcontent.  This project took longer than expected because it was actually 50% longer than I projected.  However, I could not be more pleased with the outcome.

I will be finished making the final adjustments by tomorrow and then it is time for editing.  I hope to release it by March 3rd on BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, and Smashwords.com.  Within a month's time, it will be found on all other online retailers.

Thank you!


***UPDATE***
3/4/14 - As of today, I have edited two thirds of Malcontent. I am waiting on my editor to read over the last third. After that, it will take me a day to make those last corrections. I hope to have it out at the end of the week.

Progress Report

Hello!

I am happy to report that I have roughly eight chapters to write for Malcontent.  The projected word count exceeded my expectations.  The final book might end up 5,000-10,000 more words than I originally thought.  This book will mark the end of the Restraint Trilogy and conclude a journey that began for me when I dreamed with these characters a little more than 16 years ago.  It is both a sad and happy event.

I know that many people are interested in knowing details of Wicked Love.  Wicked Love will pick up exactly where Wicked Magic left off.  In Wicked Magic, Willow was the main protagonist, but Nalin will take the lead in Wicked Love since he must first remember his lost love and then rescue her like all good heroes do.  I want to have it out by mid-2014, but if I can have it done sooner, then I will release it earlier.

As soon as I am done with Malcontent, I will begin work on Wicked Love without delay.  In fact, I am pretty eager to get started.  There are a lot of great ideas I have that I can't wait to get started on.

I have written a yearly novelette for 2014 entitled The Collector.  Look for it in January 2014 in Smashwords first and then in other online bookstores.

To all those who left reviews and recommended by books to friends, thank you for helping me reach those who wouldn't have otherwise come to know my work.

Q/A: Are certain literary themes 'played out"?

Q: Are certain literary themes "played out"?

A: NO! I am a firm believer of writing what you love, regardless of the trends.

Why? Because like all trends, they come and they go. A few years ago angel books were all the rage. I read my share of handsome fallen angels, which were somehow really good at heart, that fell in love with the young protagonist. I read about three of those kinds of books when they were in style.

I read Fallen by Lauren Kate which was definitely not for me. I found all the babbling about how cute the love interest was in every chapter annoying. Plus, there were a lot of plot elements that didn't work for me. I read the Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson which I liked a lot. The first book was intriguing. By the time I got to the third book, it was less so. Lastly, I read, Indie author, Abra Ebner's Feather Trilogy. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like novel. I was a few chapters in when I realized the first book was actually a page turner. I ended up liking it very much. Yet, before long, I was looking for something else....

The next trend was dystopian novels. While I like novels where the classic utopian society takes a downturn, I found myself looking for new novels that went against the grain. I wanted to read about witches, vampires, werewolves, and supernatural worlds. In other words, I found myself wanting to read something different from where the trend was going.

During this time, I re-read the Wicked Series by Nancy Holder which happens to be one of my favorites. It is about a battle between a family of witches and a powerful warlock. The first four books were awesome. I was not too pleased with the final book, but it was still worth reading. I read the whole Sookie Stackhouse Series, because I was a huge fan of True Blood. (Last season was horrible though). I also made a point to read, my favorite author ever, Richie Tankersley Cusick's Walk of the Spirits. It was basically about a girl who can see spirits and has to unlock the mystery of what happened to one who continues to plead for help. I liked it, but not as much as I loved her Unseen Series. I mean, I actually ordered the series before it was available in the U.S., having it shipped from the U.K. That series is about a demon who is in pursuit of a girl who it becomes obsessed with, killing everyone she is close to. Interesting, huh? I love Ms. Cusick's writing so much that I purchased all of her novels from my teenage years and read them again!

What can be learned by my reading habits? Well, as you can see, I read what I like. So, a trend can steer your writing choices, but it doesn't always translate to an instant audience. Odds are, when there so many books of one genre, a reader will be looking for a book that is different. Don't worry that the vampire or werewolf thing has been done before, because trends rotate like the earth...they always come back around.

Malcontent Preview

Hi, everyone.

I just posted a three chapter preview of, my upcoming novel, Malcontent. The preview is free. As I understand it, there is no need to make an account with Feedbooks if you don't want to. You can just download the pdf.

I am very early on in the writing process, but I was eager to share with everyone what I have written. The preview is located on Feedbooks.com (see the link below).

For those who do not know what Malcontent is about, it is the story of Louise May Reynolds before she elopes with William Carter. I hope that this book will have horror, suspense, and more romance overall.


Feedbooks: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/29064/malcontent-a-restraint-novel-preview


MALCONTENT BLURB:
Raised in a world where the first born are often sacrificed, Louise May Reynolds believes it is her destiny to appease her family by entering into an arranged marriage. However, Louise May struggles as she finds marrying Bryan Froster, a powerful and ruthless vampire prince, revolting. In her discontent, she tries to devise a way out of the union, fearing the only way to truly be free of Bryan Froster is death. Scared of turning her back on her family and the clan, Louise May struggles inwardly between what others expect of her and what she wants for herself. Until, she rebels against everything she has been raised to believe. Secretly vowing to escape a life of servitude, she risks disturbing the balance between vampire and servant which can cost her more than she can even imagine. Can Louise May turn her back on her family in order to follow her heart?

Malcontent Update

Hi, everyone.

So, I wrote five chapters of Malcontent and passed them onto my editor. I like to edit as I go and get her feed back. She loved it so far which is great. If she didn't love it, she would definitely tell me. She has been looking forward to Malcontent for a while.

Once corrections are made, I will post a preview of the book on Feedbooks.com. Just put my name in the search and it should come up after I post it. I like to publish the first chapters to tease my audience, but also so readers can decide if it is for them.

Look for the Malcontent Preview on Feedbooks.com soon. The Restraint and Lament Previews are already up if you haven't already read those.

Malcontent Trailer and Wicked Magic Review

Hi, everyone.

I just finished working on the Malcontent Book Trailer. I posted it on my website and Youtube for your viewing. I also posted it below.

I haven't been feeling well so I took a short break from writing. But I hope to be writing again soon, because I want to get started on Malcontent and probably a new short.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Josie Epping from Josie's Haven Blog will be reviewing Wicked Magic on her blog soon. She posted a short review on Goodreads (CLICK ON THE LINK TO CHECK IT OUT). So, keep leaving those reviews. I do read them, and I am loving the positive energy!!! I know many people want the short stories to be longer, but I see that as readers wanting more. So, that means I am on the right track. So, sit tight and look out for more works later this year and early next year.

Reformatting

Right now, I am hard at work reformatting Restraint and Lament for soft cover distribution. I have been getting some inquiries as to whether I was going to release any of my titles in other formats... Especially, from those that don't have e-readers or like to read things on the computer.

I have wanted to, but I didn't know what it entailed, and well, the amount of work involved. So, I did my research... I chose to go ahead and create an actual book using CREATESPACE.com.

As always, I like to do everything myself. So, I put together this book cover and formatted my book into a 6x9 book. However, the process takes many steps so I hope to have Restraint and Lament out in two weeks or so.

When I am done with Wicked Magic, I will publish in both formats; however, the soft cover will include both shorts so that reader doesn't miss reading complete story, because Wicked Magic begins where the shorts left off.

Eventually, I will add to my list of short stories. When I have enough to compile, then I will make a soft cover book entitled Series (as in series of shorts). Some of which, I will reserve only for the actual book. But right now this is only an idea. So, when I make this dream into an actuality, I will be sure to let everyone know.

Just wanted to give everyone who prefers an actual book a heads up. Stay tuned!

Malcontent Bookmark & Wallpapers

So, I have been working on the Malcontent bookmark which is available free on my website as an image that can be copied. I have made actual bookmarks in the past and gave them out at local libraries as promotional tools. It was a success. Eventually, I will print more and have them available for purchase at my online store, but I am not ready to do that yet. Maybe soon.

I have also been working on wallpapers for Malcontent. Above is one that I created with a quote from the ebook which is due out in December 2012. I am going to make another. I will probably get started on that tomorrow. Then I will get started on the book trailer. As soon as that is done, I will post that to my site and blog.

Malcontent Blurb

Malcontent is the third and final extension of the Restraint Trilogy. This will be about Louise May Reynolds and her family. It will also showcase how she fell in love with William Carter, bringing the story around full circle. I just finished writing the blurb and added it to my website. I will be adding the video trailer soon. As well as the bookmark and wallpaper images. I hope to have this novel out by December 2012. I am hoping for earlier, but one never knows what life will throw at them.

Raised in a world where the first born are often sacrificed, Louise May Reynolds believes it is her destiny to appease her family by entering into an arranged marriage. However, Louise May struggles as she finds marrying Bryan Froster, a powerful and ruthless vampire prince, revolting.

In her discontent, she tries to devise a way out of the union, fearing the only way to truly be free of Bryan Froster is death. Scared of turning her back on her family and the clan, Louise May struggles inwardly between what others expect of her and what she wants for herself. Until, she rebels against everything she has been raised to believe. Secretly vowing to escape a life of servitude, she risks disturbing the balance between vampire and servant which can cost her more than she can even imagine.

Can Louise May turn her back on her family in order to follow her heart?

Inspiration

So, I have read posts from a lot of Indie authors about how to write a short story or a novel. These tips are pretty interesting, but I think it is better to write organically. This means to have a general outline and fill in the details as you write spontaneously. This allows you to come up with new ideas as you write and the ability to integrate them into the story without ruining your precise plans.

So, with the way I write, I know people may wonder what inspires me. Many writers draw inspiration from the world around them. This is true for me, but there is also another gold mine for inspiration... Your dreams.

When I was thirteen years old, I dreamed of two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, in love with the same man. So, I decided to write about these characters and for a while I wrote a few chapters of a love story. The name of the main character was Laura. Her sister was named Linda. With my limited thirteen year old mind, I envisioned these characters, but was unable to developed them enough to finish the story.

Fast forward about thirteen years, and my mind still knew these characters. Choosing to change up the story to a genre that was more my style, I added vampires, rewriting my old concept into my novel entitled Restraint. And Laura remained the same rebellious girl I had thought up years ago.

Dreams are a wonderful source of inspiration if they make sense. The best dreams are the ones that leave you thinking about them way into the morning hours. So, dream on my fellow writers. There are many stories waiting to be told and many characters waiting to be thought up.

Editing Done for Lament

So, my editor finished up editing Lament. I have to make the changes and then I can publish it. Look for it on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Smashwords.

For those that posted comments, I could not choose so you both get a Free copy of Lament! Look out for my email to the address you commented with. Thanks!

Right now I am in the midst of writing Wicked Magic. For a one chapter book preview, go to Feedbooks.com and search "Sandra Madera."