Happy New Year and Look, a Fan Made Book Trailer for Prototype!

Hey friends, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and sane holiday! I wanted to put this for those of you who haven't had a chance to see this fan made book trailer for PROTOTYPE!  I think she did an amazing job really capturing the story! Here's to a very prosperous and amazing 2015!!!

LOVE,
Gretchen


P.S. I hope you read it, and fall in love with it, and tell all your reading buddies about it ... PROTOTYPE, book one in the POSSESSION SERIES! 

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.

Everything is Ready...WooHoo

I ordered the ARC (advance readers copy)  for Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last, I should have it in my hot little hands before Saturday! I am going to read through it and check the formatting. If everything is the way it should be...then it looks like WM18@L will be available the first full week of November! 

What a process it has been. 

I want to thank my graphic designer Eunice Ortegon and my editor Tiffany Grayson. These two women are beyond fantastic! They are amazingly giving, super cooperative, completely open, and extremely talented! I am so lucky to have them in my life and part of my journey. I can't explain how awesome it has been having authentic and selfless people surrounding this project. My BFF Becky Codere, which without her constant attention, Wilson and Max would have still been hanging out in my head.  Seriously, she was the one who kept pushing me, locking me away for writers weekends and read-throughs...I am truly fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people. They give without conditions and support me through it all.

Okay, enough mushy stuff...A couple of things to hold you in suspense until WM18@L is available....

When it becomes available it will be available and distributed in all formats at www.smashwords.com and of course Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble.

I will announce the release of WM18@L  on the following Social Networking sites...
Twitter...@delaogk
 Facebook....www.facebook.com/wilsonmooneytheseries
My Blog.....www.wilsonmooney.blogspot.com
Goodreads...http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16086588-wilson-mooney-eighteen-at-last
My Website...www.gretchendelao.com

So keep checking back!

**DISCLOSURE**
WM18@L will not be categorized as  a YA novel. I will not tout it as a YA. I don't even think I will offer it even under the guise of a "Mature" YA.  It is an adult romance novel (even though the main characters are still quite young.)

I hope you enjoy the read, and truly, thanks for all your support and kind words!

Don't forget to keep checking in!

With Gratitude and Love,

Gretchen

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

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

Truth Filled Confession...

I know everyone is biting at the bit to get their hands on the second book (my editor cleverly refers to as WM18@L).

I want to tell you how much it means to me to have so many people who have invested their time and hearts in Wilson and Max. Being a new indie author, I’ve learned there are a lot of avenues I have to trudge through to figure out what is working or not in this adventure called self-publishing.

Everyone has been caring, fair, patient, and totally understanding. So I owe a fair and honest answer to the hundreds of people who peek in on the Wilson Mooney blog every couple of days, wanting to know when the second book will be available.

Trust me, I wish I could just have the book out tomorrow, and let you all live in Wilson’s head for a couple of days; but if I did that, it wouldn’t be a quality moment for you and your experience with Wilson and Max is very important to me. Especially now that they don’t just live in my head anymore; they don’t just belong to me anymore. 

So, I want to take a moment to tell you what is happening as of right now in the physical world of getting Wilson out to you!

**My editor is 90% done with edits to the book. She likes what she sees and that makes me feel good. She is on her second read through and should be done by sometime next week.

**My designer and I are working out visuals for the cover and I think we will be able to pin it down in the next week. I still have to get the back cover summary hammered out. But I think that shouldn’t take much.

**My biggest hurdle I keep dreading is the typesetting and uploading. I know the process has changed since I uploaded the first book. So here’s to hoping the process is dummy-proof for me!

 

**Amongst all of this, I am behind at getting a book trailer out for WM18@L. But a great musician is letting me use one of his original songs, for the book video! The creative process continues!

Gosh, I can’t tell you how overwhelmingly grateful I am to everyone who has worked on Wilson. I have very talented, selfless, giving people, who are invested in this process with me. Not to mention the readers who love the book and keep it alive via word of mouth.

It is very important to me that people who read WM18@L still feel the connection they had with the characters in the first book. 

Oh my God, the pressure of producing a sequel is totally crazy! There are readers who have read the book over and over again. So keeping the continuity from the first book into the second is pretty important. Also, when I wrote the first book I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Now I do!

So here I am, at the same spot on the Merry-Go-Round, reaching for that elusive gold ring that seems to be so close and yet keeps slipping out of my hand every time I reach for it. It’s a feeling of disappointment that I can’t allow myself to embody. What I want is to snatch the ring, push my feet down in the stirrups of the carrousel horse and thrust that ring into the air, hollering at the top of my lungs…“I did it!” That, yes, I have a hard date WM18@L will be available. But it seems so impossible to predict right now.

Truthfully, what it comes down to is…I don’t want to let my readers down (there I said it). If I give a date and the book isn’t ready…how crappy would that be? Pretty crappy! So that’s why I am keeping tight-lipped about throwing dates out regarding WM18@L’s release date.

But, I promise you, when I feel I’m close I will post it here on the blog, the Facebook Fan Page, which feeds it to Twitter, and on my website.

Thank you for coming back and checking in on me! I really do appreciate your interest and patience. And believe it or not, I truly know how hard it is to wait when you are left—wanting more.

With Gratitude and Respect,

Gretchen