I'm Taking Over Panty Dropping Book Blog's Facebook Page Today!

Hey My Lovelies! I have the privilege of taking over Panty Dropping Book Blog's Facebook page today! I am so excited, because it is the first time I will actually take over someone's Facebook. AND....NO, I didn't have to tie them up or bribe them to do it. They were cool enough to invite me! So here are the deets! Go to this link >>>>>> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Panty-dropping-Book-Blog/295274823946802 at 4pm PST/ 7pm EST and hang out, answer some questions, ask some questions and maybe even win some prizes! I am hoping some of my writing buddies come hang out for a moment or two! Maybe even win some cool stuff they have out! Get ready with your best pictures, some really deep questions, and maybe even get ready to drop trou!

See you later today!

 

Grateful Journey...

I can say I would never change my life for all the money in the world or all the friends I could squeeze into an Amtrak train. I know that I am the fortunate one…I’m the person that skips across the crosswalk in rush hour traffic wearing a grin and dances down the sidewalk of my life in the pouring rain without an umbrella. 

Writing the Wilson Mooney Series was an amazing journey, but taking the series on the road to book signings has made the journey phenomenal. Where else could I meet some of the most supportive, dynamic, talented, people I know?

Where could I fulfill my dreams and aspirations but amongst the people that see me for who I truly am? To wake up to the true validation that what I do isn’t just a spoiled girl’s attempt to be something she wasn’t meant to be. 

I am an author…Validated by some pretty established, talented, and amazing writers. And as I make my mark on the hearts of my readers and fellow writers…one beat at a time, I attempt to stay authentic to who I truly am. 

I can’t find the difference between my life and how I’m supposed to act. As I drag my hands across the dark tweed curtains on center stage, I struggle just like anyone else for that opening where the edges meet and the lights beg to push them part. I squint as the spotlights penetrate the most private corners of my soul. I’m the person who still cries at moments of weakness and cheers at the smallest moments of strength.

I am grateful for everything that I’ve experienced, learned from choices I’ve made, and grew from watching the experiences of others. I get giddy at the moment I discover someone has fallen in love with my writing, and get overwhelmed at the support from other authors with my process.  I’ve gained trust and earned respect of my peers, not by asking them to do for me…but by sharing my heart openly with them. 

YES…I have days were I want to stop. Days where I’m tired of having my heart ripped out of my chest. Days where I just need someone to tell me that I am worthy.  But with each turn of events…with each breath that leads me back to my passion; I learn just that much more about my industry. I learn that what I put out…will be drawn back into my life. I know if I turn away from the sun I will cast a shadow in front of me, I know that as I close my ears to the discontented I won’t be able to hear, and I know as I speak…so shall my life mirror my words.

I’ve learned so much in the infancy of my career, and in learning…I’ve discovered there is still so much I have to learn. But it is in that space...of not knowing that the greatest growth takes place for me…and for all of that…I am truly grateful.

New Covers for the Wilson Mooney Series!

I just wanted you to see the new covers for the Wilson Mooney Series. Thank you Sommer Stein from Perfect Pear Creative and Toski Covey for their patience and creativity. And Liza Aharonovich for the amazing photos! 

 

Find your copies at:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble 
Smashwords

Beyond Eighteen...is OUT to the World!

Beyond Eighteen is out to the world! Amazon is up and people are clicking….Barnes and Nobel is taking a little longer…keep checking back with their site. Smashwords is up but am still waiting on the approval for distribution to iTunes/iBooks.

So here are the links…

Kindle at Amazon.com  

Paperback at Amazon.com here 

Paperback at Createspace.com here 

For all electronic platforms at Smashwords.com here 

Nook at Barnes and Nobel…still waiting for link…

This has been one amazing journey. From the first time I starting writing Wilson’s story to the moment I wrote the last word on the screen. I’ve cried, laughed, became frustrated, loved it, hated it, and basically felt the entire gamut of emotions with this series. It has been a ride I only dreamed of. Thank you for making it a reality! Truly, without you, this couldn’t have taken place. Thank you for supporting my passion, thank you for cheering me on when it became difficult, thank you for letting Wilson and Max into your heart and most of all….thank you for letting me take you away from the realities of life so you could have some time with the characters that flooded my mind.

I love you all and honor you as a fan of the series.

Beyond Eighteen Blurb and Cover Reveal...10 More Days!

Can you believe that in 10 days Beyond Eighteen will be out to the world? In 10 days…the series you fell in love with, will finish its run with its third and final book.

There’s this part of me that is breaking inside. I ache because I know there is a moment where I will sit at the computer and tap out lives that have nothing to do with Wilson and Max. And yet, there is this excitement that boils inside of me for the new characters that are dancing around my head. I can’t wait to introduce you to them, and their stories. My heart rate speeds up when I think that you are going to meet people who have nothing to do with the Wilson Mooney Series. It’s like the first day you bring home a friend or lover to meet your parents.

Today I am going to give you…my subscribers the first look at the blurb for book 3 and the new covers. Yeah, you read right…I reissued new covers for book 1 and 2.

Before you start screaming or emailing me…I want you to know…I loved the butterfly covers…but I needed the books to become something different when people saw the covers. I needed them to reflect what the story was about…and the butterflies just weren’t enough. At first the covers were my attempt to be different, but just as caterpillars morph into butterflies; my books needed to evolve into something that let people know it was a contemporary new adult romance.

Soooo…without further ado….here is the blurb for Beyond Eighteen and the three new book covers. 

Beyond Eighteen Blurb

Max Goldstein has been confronted by death, betrayal, and unwanted expectations. He must work to find the delicate balance of a love that has been tested and a family that has been broken. Returning to the warmth of Wilson’s arms, he finds the only place he can be truly healed. Unfortunately, teetering on the edge of losing everything he’s ever wanted, Max must make decisions that pull at his sense of responsibility and push at his desire to protect the life he’s found with Wilson.

When Wilson Mooney is thrust into adulthood, she never expects her childhood demons to come knocking. Struggling to balance the delicate nature of her relationship with Max and the burning sting of betrayal; Wilson realizes she must dig deep within her soul to find forgiveness. Will she allow circumstances out of her control to shape her future? Or will she find the strength and maturity to go beyond eighteen and have the life she desires with the man she loves?

Will Wilson and Max ever get to have their happily ever after?

Watch for Beyond Eighteen October 2nd, 2013. 

With Gratitude and Love,

Gretchen

My Interview with Christy from Tyhada Reads Book Blog

Hey Ladies! 

Check out my interview with Christy at Tyhada Reads. 

She asks some pretty detailed questions about my writing process and how I came up with the name for the series!

http://tyhadareads.com/2013/08/11/author-spotlight-gretchen-de-la-o/

SAVE THE DATE! Beyond Eighteen release date is October 2nd, 2013! Also, make sure to check out the book tour for Beyond Eighteen from October 21st through the 25th. There will be interviews, reviews, and giveaways!

With Gratitude,
Gretchen

OMG....WE HAVE A DATE!

I've had several people ask me...What’s going on with Beyond Eighteen (book 3 in the Wilson Mooney Series)?

First off, I know you feel like you’re floating in a blow-up raft in the middle of a shark infested body of water known as Wilson and Max. Bailing water from the sinking boat, and hoping that the little lifelines I seem to throw you will keep you from becoming shark bait. I get it. I truly understand the frustration, anticipation, and impatience y’all must be feeling, because I feel that way too! (thanks Shark Week)

With anything I feel impassioned about; I want to keep it safe. I want to make sure everything is in proper order before I let it go off on its journey. It’s so important to me that I give as much of myself that I can to the stories I write.

When the characters talk through me, or I feel that spark to write, it is as if everything else bows out. My family, friends, house, animals, events, everything becomes the background on which my writing is fueled. Life around me goes on going, while I disappear in the folds of my stories and the heartbeats of my characters.

The people, who know me and love me, try to understand. They continue to support me, but I can see and feel when they are reaching the saturation level of being ignored. Doors become heavier as they close with more force, calls and texts become a little longer, with words like, “I know you’re writing, but”, and my family gets tired of the excuse, let me just finish this chapter. As a matter of fact, I know my family and friends sometime feels my characters get more time with me then they do, and truthfully, sometimes they’re right.

Inspiration has a way of showing up at the most inopportune of times and so does its nemesis procrastination! There are days when I want to ignore the cat calls from the fictional characters in my head and the bellyaching from my boys in real life, and just take a day to myself. But, well, that just wouldn’t be fair to everyone.

So, here’s where I am with Beyond Eighteen...I hope it eases your mind. The first 3/4 of the book is written, and as of yesterday, is with my editor, Tiffany. I am at a pivotal point in the book and I feel like there is roughly another 3 or 4 chapters to go before Wilson and Max’s story will be done for this series. A couple of my beta-readers have been reading it all along, helping me catch inconsistencies. My graphic designer has finished the ebook cover and it is ready to go, the paperback is really close. I have been communicating with bloggers and other authors about promoting the series. And if all goes well, I will revise, re-read, and revise before back to editor and then off to the world. So the big question everyone is waiting for…When will book 3 be released?

DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

Beyond Eighteen will be released on a very special day…October 2nd, 2013, (Ed and my 19th wedding anniversary).

HEY! MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

I'll be in Las Vegas on August, 17th at the Hard Rock Hotel from 2-6pm. 

and

On October 12th (10 days after book 3 is released), I’ll be at the Mark Spencer Hotel in Portland, Oregon from 12-4.

With Love and Gratitude,

Gretchen