When the World Pushes Back...

tumultuous sea of dementia 

So many times we set up grand expectations which end up nose-diving to major disappointment. 

I didn't expect to be gone from publishing for three years. In the book world, it feels like a lifetime. The stress of where to jump back onto the merry-go-round of self-publishing is real. 

Have I been gone too long from the industry? Will readers be able to find me in an even more saturated market than three years ago? Has technology in publishing drastically changed? 

You see, I wasn't burned out on writing, I wasn't taking time because I hit a brick wall or experienced the dreaded writer's block. For the last three years, LIFE happened. 

Outside of who I am, the world around me decided to explode in crazy ways. Death and disease have ravaged some of my relationships, wreaked havoc on my writing career, and really messed with my emotional state of mind.  

For the last three years, I've been navigating an extremely complicated relationship with a family member who is afflicted with dementia. I wasn't prepared for the amount of mental energy that the disease consumes. Dementia is a bastard who slips through the cracks in a broken mind, laughs in your face while it insidiously steals your freedom. I'm still not prepared for the road to come. I don't know if tomorrow will be filled with the stress of accusations or the sadness of watching them struggle to remember what happened yesterday. I haven't seen the worst, and yet I can't even fathom what the worst will be. 

All I know is that I'm treading water in a tumultuous sea of dementia and my muscles are fatigued. I remind myself, it's not forever, and this too shall pass. It's the only words that seem to soothe the battered kid locked deep inside of me. 

Needless to say, I am writing. It's a slow process and it's discouraging that I can't dedicate hours and hours into the worlds I love to create. But I am doing what I can. So don't give up on this ol' gal! 

XoXo
Gretchen

Pink Shades of Words...An Anthology to Raise Money for Breast cancer Research.

I am honored and very humbled to be a part of something that moves the world beyond just the limited space I am in. When Glorya Hidalgo asked me to contribute a short story to her Avon breast cancer project I was more then willing to jump in with both feet. Then when I heard she had big name authors like Emily Snow, Jessica Sorensen, Julie Prestsater and CJ Roberts, I knew I was putting my name on something truly special. Breast cancer (<---notice I didn't capitalize the insidious bitch), has made a mark in everyone's lives one way or another. It has become a too common household conversation regarding our mothers, sisters, aunts, and girlfriends. We've ALL become affected by this disease. Whether a personal story of survival or of a loved one, this disease is finding its way into too many people's lives.

I wish I had magic pill that would wipe this gnarly, insidious disease from the face of the earth, but the fact is...I don't. But what I do have is a story. MAX, A Wilson Mooney Series Prequel, a short snip-it of Max Goldstein's life up to where Almost Eighteen (book 1) begins. I wrote this short story especially for Pink Shades of Words, I figured what better way to help out then to contribute what I know. I hope you enjoy the 16 other authors that poured their hearts into this project along with countless contributors that donated their time!

Below is all the information....even links to purchase it! 
 

17 of Today’s Best Selling Authors in Young Adult, New Adult & Romance came together to support Breast Cancer Research.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated towards Fifty Shades of Pink Avon Breast Cancer Team- Santa Barbara, CA.

FIFTY SHADES OF PINK team participates in the 2 Day, 39.3 miles Breast Cancer Walk in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. For one weekend- we wake up at 5am, deal with blisters the size of mountains, body aches (from body parts we should never ach from) and become one big family with the other thousands of walkers. We do this all in hopes that no other Mother, Sister, Aunt or Friend will have to deal with Breast Cancer.

Ready to Wed by J.L. Berg
Forgetting by JL Brooks
Max by Gretchen de la O
Fate by Dani Hart
Final Stage by Jade C. Jamison
Choices by Sloan Johnson
Leap of Faith by Shayne McClendon
Trying by J.B. McGee
Ruby and Finn by Maggi Myers
A Bend In the Road by Tess Oliver
More Than A Friend Request by Julie Prestsater
Songs of Dominance by CD Reiss
Falling by Julie Richman
Determined to Obey by CJ Roberts
Meeting Sin by Emily Snow
Lies & Deceit by Jessica Sorensen
Don’t Close Your Eyes by Hilary Storm

Amazon (Kindle & Paperback)

Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Smashwords (All Formats) 

 

Win a Beta Reader Spot for Wilson Mooney #3 Beyond Eighteen!

Check this out! Want to win an opportunity to read Wilson Mooney Beyond Eighteen (book3) before the public?  I have 1 spot available in my beta reader team...are you up for it? Check out the auction link above the picture below! 

Hey my lovely readers, the money is going to  a worthy cause! It helps fund needed programs at my son's school! Bid high, bid often...and who knows, you just might be hanging out with me, talking about Wilson and Max's future!

CONGRATULATIONS TO....
Suzanne R. from
the San Francisco Bay Area!
Thanks for supporting PHE!





My First Indie Author Event in San Francisco! SFINE

I am so excited to tell you all about my first ever "indie" author's event, SFINE! I am going to be at the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco on Saturday, June 15th from 12-4pm. OMG, can I just say I am so excited to be invited to such an amazing event! Colleen Hoover, Nyrae Dawn, Steph Campbell, and Jillian Dodd just to name a few of the 30 authors that will be there, with me! I can't wait to rub elbows with some truly talented writers!

Hey, but wait! Did I mention you're invited! Just go to the website,www.sfine.net and register (it's free). Then, come on down! I'd  love to meet some of my amazing Northern California readers and sign your books! If you don't have a copy of Wilson 1 or 2, don't worry, click HERE, scroll through to the last page and order a copy or two!

It has been an amazing time in my life and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

With Love,

Gretchen 

My First Author Interview!

So I've finally arrived! Okay, so maybe I was never gone....I had so much fun doing my very first author interview over at Smitten's Book Blog! Check it out! You might even get some insight to questions you have!

Check out the interview HERE!

Oh and there are another 2 WM book giveaways at www.smittensbookblog.wordpress.com!

Which reminds me!

Winner of the 2/14/13 drawing is...

Bianca from Downey, CA! 

Congratulations Bianca, email me at gretchen(at)gretchendelao(dot) com.

Thick Skin...Maybe Not.

Okay, so maybe my skin isn’t as thick as I thought it was…like most I can admire the genius behind the impossible flight of an awkwardly disproportionate bumble bee. It’s amazing to find out nature can defy physics and make the impossible…possible. But when the fear of being stung out-weighs the admiration of true nature, that’s when I tend to get nailed.

The bumble bee, whose wings appear to be too small to keep its massive body in the air and a body which lacks any defined attempt at aerodynamics, and yet, it hovers, flies, and lands on the most delicate of places. The bumble bee spends its day depositing and taking pollen to create the sweetest nectar. It lives its existence, doing what’s in its nature, simply because it is designed to do it. When it’s threatened or its queen is threatened it will protect her, often with the sacrifice of its life. It dies to do what’s in its indisputable nature.

Sometimes, I feel like a bumble bee…yeah, that’s right, a bumble bee.

I wanted to write, so I wrote like it was in my nature. No, I wasn’t born into a family of writers or ever dreamt of being a writer when I was younger. One day, I just had an urge, stronger than a desire, to write, so I wrote. Like the bumble bee, I never knew my wings were too small for my body. I wrote without knowing anything about what I was or wasn’t supposed to do or believe.

And just as nature supports the business of the bumble bee’s intentions, it has and continues to support me in my purpose. Yeah, I have days where I feel I have to justify and protect my writing. There are moments when I feel threatened, hurt, and misunderstood. When stranger’s words find ways to pierce deeper than any stinger could drive in my skin. Sometimes their words roll off my back and sometimes their words get stuck in the nectar I’ve decided to take back to my hive.

But I will say…there are more days I feel, supported, loved, happy, and completely appreciated. Days where the words that blanket my computer screen encourage me to keep going. Moments where tears cluster in my eyes because I’ve written a story that touches people’s lives deeper than I could have ever imagined.

Nothing is more powerful than the words we say, thoughts we think, and intentions we act upon. So when hours shuffle into days, I truly appreciate every moment my readers have taken to write me a note, an email, a review, or a comment. And just like the bumble bee, which doesn’t think of itself as anything more than a worker/producer, I keep my intention on writing the stories that crowd my head. When I need motivation to continue, I find it. When difficulties appear, I get out of the way of my insecurities and doubt. And I will never forget how conventional science points out every reason why a bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly…and yet it keeps defying scientific reasoning.

Stretch your wings, try something you’ve put off too long. And remember just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t; it just means you haven’t discovered a way…yet.

What's Next?

There are a lot of people asking me to write a separate story from Wilson Mooney series for the other supporting characters. They are asking about Nick, Joanie, and even Cindy! Yes people are asking to know more about what makes Cindy tick (if you can believe that!).

I guess it’s something that has become a trend when producing a series or novel (writing a novelette about secondary characters). It isn’t something that is off my radar; if the demand is there. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce you to the other characters in the book.

But, I gotta tell you, I have lived with all the characters from the WM series for several years now. They have become an intrinsic part of my life. I used to find myself staring out the window, wondering what they are doing when I wasn’t writing their story. As a matter of fact, there were plenty of days I couldn’t wait to get back to them. I know how sexy and mesmerizing Wilson and Max can be. Heck, there were days when I wished they’d just come walking through my front door so I could find out what was going on in their lives when I was busy in the reality of mine.

But it is important that I take this opportunity and explain why I am ready to move on to the other stories that are banging against all the doors I keep shutting in my head, while I finish writing the 3rd book in the WM series.

My story of becoming an author isn’t rare or exciting. I sat down one day in December of 2008 and started to write a romantic sci-fi about a woman CIA agent who gets tangled in a situation beyond her control. It is a sexy, suspenseful, and an all around dynamic story of sex, murder, and betrayal. When I finished Prototype and started writing the sequel (Hindsight’s 20/20), out of nowhere, Wilson was born. The first couple of sentences of Wilson’s story came to me and from that day her words just flowed through me. Needless to say, I stopped writing Hindsight, the second book of the Prototype series, and focused on writing Wilson’s story.

Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen was written in 6 months. It took another 6-8 months to figure out what I was going to do with her story. In that time, I had tons of characters for other stories tiptoe and dance through my head. Stories I have fallen in love with as much as I did with Wilson and Max. Sure some are more sensual than others, some are heavy, while others are light and freeing, but all of them are so important to me and truly deserve my attention.

I would like to get Prototype out to the world soon! And with the help of my amazing editor Tiffany Grayson, it is becoming more of a reality for me. Thanks T!

And with that being said…

I know where I left you at the end of WM18@L…I know you are aching to read the third book in the series, and I totally understand that.

Please don’t panic…finishing WM3 my total priority.

I guess what I am saying is after WM3 is released, and I know that Wilson and Max are left in a sustainable state, they will be just fine with giving me their blessing to move onto other stories.

And when I do that…when you get to meet all the other totally amazing characters stomping around in my head…you’ll see why I am hesitant to commit to a novelette for the WM series. 

Thank you for being the MOST REMARKABLE fans and readers in the world!

Please don’t forget to share your love for Wilson and Max with your friends!

And like you did for me, take a chance on a new author, because there are some really talented writers out there!

With Love,

Gretchen

How Do I Explain?

OK, time for me to plaster my heart against the screen of your electronic devices. Just let me crack my chest open and pour out every last emotion that tries to cling to whatever is left dangling in my heart. What words can I say that would give you a glimpse into the pleated folds of my mind that nobody has ever seen before? I don’t know, maybe the possibility of speaking before I think of the ramifications, or in the attempt to keep my sacred moments locked away in my heart...I may appear distant or uninterested. 

If you only knew I am exploding inside, wanting to connect with every word, letter, email, and review. And the deep gratitude I feel for each person who has invested part of their life in Wilson and Max’s story.

Life is so precious, and how we spend it is so important. I am completely aware that what we do with our lives equates to how we end up spending our time. And in today’s world, I know that time is one of our most valuable commodities. A commodity that once spent, we can never get it back. We can’t ask for a refund or exchange it for something different.

Time is priceless, treasured, and irreplaceable; therefore, I truly understand the price you’ve paid to spend time with the characters that found their way through me and out into the world. Is there even a word in existence that can explain the emotion that swells through my body when I find out that someone has fallen in love with Wilson and Max? Possibly, but at this particular moment I can’t seem to find it.

Maybe it’s like when you see the man of your dreams and the spark it ignites deep within your heart. Or the unconditional, untainted love that saturates you when you see your child for the first time. This whole experience really does rank up there for me. When people give their time to my words, it is an indescribable feeling. A feeling I want to blurt out, share with everyone, and canvas the world with it; but it is so personal, so intense, and so awe-inspiring that to try and explain it seems almost too…limiting.

It is so powerful to feel people’s emotions. Every response I get from a reader about Wilson is poignant because they have taken their time to think, feel, and process the emotions that boiled to the surface of their life when they read her story. That resonates with me.

I can’t tell you what waits for me later today, tomorrow, or even the next. But I can tell you this…I am exceedingly grateful to all of the people in this world who have decided to share in the stories that swamp my head and pour out through my fingers. To those of you who have invested your treasure and time in my words—I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

With Gratitude,

Gretchen 

Okay, Let's just Visualize okay! Humor me!

Hello, Jennifer Lawrence as Wilson?

When A Spark Catches...

When a spark catches, a fire will blaze until its unstoppable flames consume without consideration. It is at this particular moment when we must decide if it is a blessing or a curse. We can either stand on the edge of a new opportunity grieving for what was lost or choose to celebrate the newly discovered possibilities.

When Wilson came to me several years ago, I didn’t know what she was all about. Some people told me that none of the big publishers would touch the story with a ten-foot pole. They thought the story was too taboo because it was about a girl and her teacher. But something inside me kept me writing it. The creative urge to tell her story was stronger than the mainstream belief that readers couldn’t handle the subject.

I knew that once people read the story, the whole idea of a student and a teacher would be an afterthought to the relationship of two young people who were falling in love with each other. It was so much more than the superficial, knee-jerk judgment of a naughty novel.

As I passed chapters to people who wanted to read Wilson’s story, I worked really hard to stretch out of the box of conventional thinking. If someone tried to stuff me back in the box, I would find the means to kick my way out. I guess I was too naïve to believe that stories like Wilson’s didn’t have an audience.

When I needed help, I would ask and opportunities would always show up. When I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, I would stop and wait for the answers. When days turned into more days and doubt would creep into my head, I was fortunate enough to have people who would whack me upside the noggin for stopping mid-sentence and then give me positive strokes for continuing with my passion. It never took much to remind me why I was writing Wilson and Max’s story.

If there is anything I learned in the journey of bringing Wilson and Max to the world, it would have to be anything is possible. 

What mind can conceive, man can achieve.

Patience is truly the most rewarding attribute of seeing your dream unfold. When you feel like giving up, find every moment that sparks the creative energy in your heart and focus on that. When situations hurt your feelings, find something in that situation that helps you grow. Find the diamond buried in the huge mountain. And never forget, sometimes your ignorance of the worlds views will keep you alive and swimming when so many others are eaten by the sharks circling to swallow them whole.

**WM18@L Update**

I’m meeting with my beta readers Sunday! Whew, I can’t wait to hear what they have to say! Also, my editor is done with the book. She should have it to me in the next couple of days. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the first part of next week to see the progress on the cover from my graphic designer.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you. I’m speechless and can’t think of any words to express how grateful I am to have all your support. You took a chance on an unknown author and bought my novel. That means the world to me. You’ve come back to my blog and Facebook page, checking in on my progress and I totally appreciate that. It’s funny to think, not too long ago Wilson’s story only existed in my head and now it’s out in the entire world, being shared!

With Overwhelming Gratitude,

Gretchen