FIRST MAJOR SIGNING SFINE HERE I COME!!!!

Well everyone I am off to San Francisco today for my first HUGE signing on Saturday! There is going to be over 30 authors there. I have a half of a table I am sharing with Bethany Lopez (I can't wait to meet her!). I've got all my swag in order and my bags are almost packed, all I have to do is set up my boys for success while I'm gone for 30 hours! Not much time in the realm of taking off for the weekend.

I am so excited to meet my readers, amazing authors, dynamic book bloggers, and many different people in the book industry! This weekend is going to be FAN-tastic! If you are coming down to the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf, make sure you come by my table, pick up some swag and let's chat! If you aren't going to San Francisco, then make sure to make it to Orlando, FL. on June 29th for Book Bash!

Thank you for being the most amazing fans a girl could ever ask for! Here's a little treat in case you can't make it to SFINE! 

With Gratitude,
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.

Added an Additional Drawing Date 2/14/13!

Congrats to Riley from Georgia! She was our first winner drawn on 1/31/13
BUT WAIT!
I'VE DECIDED TO DO ANOTHER DRAWING!
Don't forget to tell everyone you know about

The Wilson Mooney Series!

NEW DRAWING DATE 2/14/13 to enter the drawing for a signed copy of both books 1 & 2. Fill out the form to the right.    

------------------------------------->

If you've already filled it out, you don't have to do it again. You are already entered into the drawing!

HEY! Watch for the next contest....It's going to be a great one that involves winning an opportunity to read Book 3 before it is released to the world!

Don't forget to come back and keep looking for the details of the next contest!

Tell Your Friends~

Don't forget to tell everyone you know about

The Wilson Mooney Series!

Tonight is the deadline to enter the drawing for a signed copy of both books 1 & 2. Fill out the form to the right.    

------------------------------------->

If you've already filled it out, you don't have to do it again. You are already entered into the drawing!

HEY! Watch for the next contest....It's going to be a great one that involves winning an opportunity to read Book 3 before it is released to the world!

Don't forget to come back and keep looking for the details of the next contest!

300 LIKES ON FACEBOOK = SNEAK PEEK WM#3

Woo Hoo, Wilson Mooney's Facebook Page has reached 229 LIKES. When it reaches 300 LIKES, I will give you a sneak peek from the 3rd book, Wilson Mooney, Beyond Eighteen! If you don't have FB, find a friend that has it and make sure they LIKE the Wilson Mooney Series Facebook Page and when it reaches 300...you'll get a little something, something to help pass the time before the book is released. Check out the link below...

https://www.facebook.com/wilsonmooneytheseries

Want an Autographed Copy of Wilson Mooney 18@Last?

Hey! Calling all pinners! Follow the Wilson Mooney Boards on Pinterest! Then, re-pin one or both Wilson Mooney book covers on your boards to be entered into a drawing on December 31, 2012 to win an autograph copy of Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last!

Check out my Pinterest boards HERE!

http://pinterest.com/delaogk/

 **Disclosure**
1. The contest runs from December 15, 2012 9am to December 31, 2012 12:00(midnight). 
2. I will do my best to acknowledge pinner's entry by a "like" or comment. 
3. If you don't hear from me please re-pin or comment on the Wilson Mooney Fan Board. 
4. Winner will be contacted via Pinterest or Facebook or Twitter or email.
5. I will do everything in my power to contact winner. If I am unable to make contact within three days of the close of the contest, an alternative winner will be chosen. 
6. The book is valued at $11.99, there is no monetary value to the autograph.
7. One entry per person no matter how many covers to pin to your boards.
8. A third party (not me) will choose the winner. (Human or computer)
9. Please submit all questions to gretchen(at)gretchendelao(dot)com.
10. The book will be mailed the week after the contest closes on December 31st, 2012.

Thank you for taking an interest in the Wilson Mooney Series. 
 
 

 

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

Enter to Win a Signed Paperback of WM18@L (Book 2)

Okay, so I am doing a promotion through Goodreads!

 If you want to enter to win an autographed paperback copy of Wilson Mooney, Eighteen at Last...Visit my Website on Friday and register to win! There will be two winners!

www.gretchendelao.com

While you're hanging out on Goodreads.com, make sure you check out the reviews of the book! WooHoo!!!

If you've already read the book, feel free to leave a review on Goodreads! Also don't forget to revisit where you purchased your copy and leave a review! Through your reviews and Word of Mouth, Wilson is increasing in readership!

Thanks for all your support and kind words!

With Love,

Gretchen

Tah-Dah.....WM18@L Cover is here!

Okay, so the book isn't up for sale yet, however; keeping you in the loop...here is the cover for Wilson Mooney, Eighteen at Last! I believe with the way things are moving and shaking....The book will be out this week or next....EEEKKK!!! I actually pinned it down to a time frame more than soon!...Still sorry I'm not more specific with an actual date, but I gotta go over the last couple of chapters and pick up the image files from my graphic designer!

I HAVE THE MOST AMAZING KICK-ASS READERS!!!!

THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND HOLDING ON!

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?

Where the Heck is WM18@L?

Alright, right off the bat...I gotta tell you, I don't have a release date for WM18@L...yet. **grumble**grumble** (feel free to replace previous grumblings with your personal words). 

I feel this book (WM2) is much more of a hurry up and wait game. I gotta say, the “hurry up and wait” aspect of publishing this book, sucks. I want to come up with a date, I want to tell you, it is perfect, done, and ready. Because I know there are hundreds of people waiting to find out about Wilson and Max. I know where I left you, and I know how hard it can be to wait and see. It’s disheartening to keep telling you, my most amazing readers, to be patient. I feed off your energy and the anticipation that's building through all of your reviews and emails. I wish I could give you the inside scoop of the exact day it will be released, but I am waiting just like you.

I have so much love for all of you, and totally wish I could tell you what you want to hear, but I can’t. There are some aspects that effect the release of the book. So we are in the waiting process. But I promise you, WM18@L is completely written, and it has been edited twice. I have some small tweaks I have to make to the content and then meet again with the graphic designer to finish up the cover.

NOT TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT BUT…

Trust me; I know how you feel having to wait, because that’s how I write. When I sit down at the computer I have no idea what journey Wilson and Max will go on until my fingers are tapping on the letters of my keyboard. I wish I could tell you that I am a plotter, that I know exactly what character is going where, and what actions, feelings, and events are going to occur from one chapter to the next, but I don’t. Sometimes I stop mid-paragraph, mid-sentence, and have to come back when the story decides to continue. I write from that place of inspiration that decides to turn on in the middle of dinner, at my son’s basketball game, or even in the middle of the night.

Any writer will tell you, whether they plot or not, you can’t force the characters to do something they don’t want to do. It will come out awkward or unbelievable. I can’t sit down and tell Wilson what she and Max are supposed to do. She will argue until I see it her way (and just so you know…Wilson always win—always). Sometimes when I want to protect her or the other characters I will try and write it from a safer place or a different direction and sure as sh*t, they’ll flat out ignore me. When the characters decide to do something I would personally never do, I find myself pacing the floor, arguing with them. My body begins to perspire and my heart thunders in the back of my throat. I guess that’s when I know it is authentic. Eventually, I find myself tapping the keys and writing exactly what Wilson asked me to in the first place.

Even though I know what happens next, I struggle with waiting just as much as my readers. I know, I know…I can hear what you’re saying, “Come on Gretch, you have no idea how we feel. You have Wilson and Max in your head all the time!” Actually, I don’t. They aren’t hanging out telling me what is going on. Heck, it would make writing their story a lot easier if they were. But like you, I have to wait and see what they are willing to share with me.

 

Wilson Mooney, Eighteen at Last…Coming REALLY soon, sometime in 2012.

With So Much Love and Gratitude,

Gretchen

Almost One Year Later!

Sales of Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen are growing at a steady pace. Almost a year after it was released it seems word of mouth is working its magic. Yeah, at times I wonder if it is because I am getting close to releasing the second novel in the series…maybe. Or it could be that people are finding it because they are looking for a steamy read with a storyline and character development.

I understand readers want to invest in the characters; it is important to feel the different emotions that the characters evoke in their hearts. Let’s face it, we all want to love, hate, get angry, and laugh at characters in a book. We want to be entertained and transported to another world, even if it is only for a couple hours in a day.

When I decided to self-publish Wilson, I went about it with blinders on. When I stumbled or came across a roadblock, I would hit the internet and searched out how to overcome it. Yeah, sometimes I had to take a pretty big shovel and tunnel under some real huge barriers. Sometimes I would fall off the confidence wagon and question the choices I made. But I eventually found my footing again, fixed the axle of the wagon, and gave it a running push before I jumped back on.

The biggest roadblock I still work at overcoming; the biggest mental hurtle I work on the most (sometimes multiple times a day), has been my own self-defeating talk in my head. You know that little irritating, nonsensical voice that shows up in the back of your head when you believe everything is heading in the right direction.

Do I listen to the little irritating turd in the back of my head? Sometimes~ But my saving grace has been the people who support me and want to share in the success of my stories. See, I learned early in life, the people you attract in your life, the people who surround you will shape your experiences. Now, fortunately, I have some really amazing people in my life; people who share the same philosophy as I do. I’m not saying that we are a bucket of rainbows all the time. But we don’t focus on the negative situations for very long when they seem to come up and bite us in the rear.

Now, I’m not saying my journey been perfect. But it’s my journey and how I react to it, creates my experience. I work every day at perfecting my craft, marketing my books, and most importantly making sure to live in gratitude. Every person who has invested in me and my stories, every new sale I get, every letter or email I receive, and every moment I am given to write and create…I consciously and verbally give thanks for…everyday.

Thanks for visiting~

Make sure you check out the Wilson Mooney Facebook page~ HERE