Shades of Ethereal

Last time we were here, I said "Recklessly" was going to be my last bit of writing for the year. And that was true at the time. But I can't shake this story, and I already shared with Twitter that I would write it this year.

It's not part of Kai's world at all because I'll start to get annoyed with my own characters (and that's your job ;) lol haha I'm kidding), if I have to keep writing about the same people nonstop over and over.

This new story is called "Shades of Ethereal," and I'll explain this title this time because I've noticed some mention of another certain book's title LOL. One of the meanings of the word "shade" is ghost (particularly in literature...but really, the other meaning of the word could also apply... comparative darkness due to shelter from the sunlight), and Ethereal is the name of the town it's set in (btw, you should google 'weird city names,' it's fun). Anyway, here's the blurb:

Even with her 4.0 GPA and class valedictorian status, Addison Collier can't get a job anywhere she wants. So out of desperation, she takes a position as the personal assistant to ultraconservative mayor, Josiah Irwin, in the town of Ethereal, North Carolina. 

And the normally charismatic college graduate quickly finds herself out of her element in a place not very welcoming to outsiders, and frequently at odds with her boss. Alone and ready to head home, she finally gets a friend in Josiah's son, Lyle, who comes back to town for his grandmother’s funeral, and who turns out to be not only the complete antithesis of his father but also the entire town. 

Lyle is outspoken, defiant and insanely handsome, and just what Addison needs to liven up her time in Ethereal. They soon bond over their disagreement with his father’s views.

And their fiery mutual attraction. 

As they get closer, Addison learns that Lyle isn’t just back because of his loss. He’s there searching for the truth behind some pages ripped out of his grandmother’s journals. An earth-shattering truth he believes will bring down his father. Which is what he wants to do. And with Addison starting to reach common ground with Josiah, she's forced to be on the opposite side of the person she might be falling in love with. 

How big of a secret can one small town hold? And can a budding romance survive it? 

Hope it sounds interesting! I'm a huge politics junkie, so I'm glad to be writing something related to it. I'm aiming for a fall/winter release tentatively, but that's as far as I'll go with that. We'll talk about it again during the summer! =) Have a great weekend!

SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK!

Like Tuesday teasers, but earlier!!
 
From "Remake":

She squealed when he bumped her with his bare pelvis. “Hey, put that thing away before you start knocking stuff off the counter.”

He reached for a towel on the rack and wrapped it around his waist. “Try 'knocking down the walls…'”

From "Recklessly":

“Brody’s not that bad, Wes.”

“Once you stick a ‘that’ in there, you effectively let me compare him to whatever I want…” Wes tilted his head until Brody was in his line of sight and aimed an arrogant smirk at him before returning his gaze to Lana. “…Like, say, getting your dick caught in a meat grinder. So yes, comparatively, he’s not that bad.”

 

Documentary Giveaway at Three Chicks and Their Books

Hey guys,

The gals at Three Chicks and Their Books are helping me give away an e-book copy of "Documentary" on their Facebook page. It's pinned right at the top. So if you're mulling over whether or not to read it or you want to win it and give it to someone else, please feel free to enter!

A.J.

WESLEY WEDNESDAY -Recklessly peek

Recklessly is going to have a pretty close release to Remake, I think. Anyway, here's a little piece to stew on:

“She’s in…um…her kidneys…it’s…” Abel, flustered, fumbled with the bottom edge of his t-shirt, unable to meet Wes’ eyes. It was obvious he was crying and he just didn’t want Wes to know right away.

“Renal failure,” Wes said flatly before he surveyed the unfamiliar faces in the hospital waiting room. “Her kidneys aren’t filtering toxins out like they’re supposed to.” He was sure Abel knew this already; Wes was stating it entirely for his own benefit. Maybe his own punishment.

“Man, she tested positive for…cocaine.” Abel finally looked up with puffy, bloodshot eyes. “They said sometimes it makes you go into hypo…no…uh…hyperthermia. Her body overheated.” He pressed his palms against his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re here again. Today took me right back to—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Wes’ curt tone silenced Abel, and he was squeezing his fists so hard that his fingers went numb. He would’ve given anything to have it spread through the rest of him right now. “So, I guess her parents are here?” Abel nodded, holding his solemn expression. “Great.”

How could he face them right now?  Wes drew his keys from his pocket. Rage was a vise on his chest, and since he couldn’t toss any of the screwed-down chairs across the room, he flung his keys instead. He had never before felt hate like this, for anybody; yet, all he wanted to do was hold her, bury his face in her hair and tell her how he would fix it.

“Wesley, this isn’t your fault. It’s not your—”

“Don’t.” Wes held his palms out toward Abel as a warning as he clenched his jaw. He had to calm down or he would take out his anger undeservedly on his brother. “I kinda need you to walk away right now. You didn’t do anything…I just…”

Hurt flared in Abel’s eyes for just a blink before calm took over—as much calm as one could have in a hospital setting. “I got it, bro,” he said, but his tone was unconvincing as he squeezed Wes’ shoulder twice. “Call me, okay?”

“Yeah....” Under the concerned and probably fearful eyes of everyone in the waiting room, Wes went to retrieve his keys. Then, he only got as far as the other side of one of the motion-sensor exits before he doubled over from exhaustion and shock, planting his hands on his knees for support.

“Hey, you okay?”

Wes wasn’t a crier, so he suppressed the burn in his chest with the strength he could muster, but he couldn’t control how hard his shoulders were shaking. It felt like he couldn’t breathe quickly enough to sustain his existence. Every time he took a breath in, the world seemed ready to rip it back out of him just as the air crossed his lips. Everything else was being taken away, too, so it seemed fitting. Did he need to pray? Shit. He didn’t do that, either. So he grunted and growled at the ground until the sound coming out of his singed throat stopped.

“Hey. Excuse me…”

Wes turned his head and flushed with embarrassment when he noticed the woman standing next to him. He probably looked crazy. “Are you okay...stupid question, but human nature," she said.

Wes slowly stood upright and was unsure of whether to shake his head or nod, so he did neither.

"I saw you earlier…with your brother...you were carrying that girl,” she continued. She pulled the shroud of her thick, dark brown curls away from her face and smiled with compassion before offering a cigarette. He hadn’t smoked since he was twelve, but he took it, and he even let her light it. “I know it’s a stimulant, but it calms me down. I usually need it when I come see how my dad’s doing. You look like you need one, too. Shannon.” She pointed at herself before pulling a couple tissues from her purse and waving them at him. “And you’re bleeding. Right above your eye.”

“Wesley, and thanks.” He dabbed at one of his eyebrows and winced from the sting. He hadn’t even noticed he was hurt, but the memory of colliding with a door earlier suddenly poured in.  “Is it bad?”

Shannon shrugged. “Shouldn’t be if you couldn’t feel it.” Then she smiled. “No, that’s not necessarily true, but I don’t think you’ll die or… Shit, probably not the best word to use at a place like this, huh? Sorry.”

He agreed in silence, but Wes shrugged and stared at the light shade of blood on the tissue. Now that he was aware of the cut, the pain was manageable but seemed to be intensifying. He suspected that this would be the most unscathed he’d be when this was all over.

“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is your girlfriend gonna be okay?”

Crushing the tissue, Wes hauled in a long drag from the cigarette after he shook his head. “She’s not…no.”

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to review and/or rate "Documentary" recently. Not even a month ago, I was trying to get to 200 ratings and we're at like 350. That's pretty freaking awesome.

And I actually do read them, even though they say you shouldn't (I'm not a masochist LOL, just super nosy and not sensitive about my writing like at all...I dunno if you've noticed the name of my blog lol), and I've seen them all across the board. Not a bad thing, obviously! My view on reviews, as it is with most things in life, is live and let live.

Anyway, it's important to me to thank you to death (and I just might) because people read tons of books a week (I'm probably at like 3 or 4) and never say anything about them when they're done. They don't tell their friends, they don't rate it, they feel nothing, and sometimes they just say "F this" and delete it from their devices. "Documentary" totally might have been that book for you LOL, but if you did take the time to rate it or review it, no matter your feelings, thank you!

A.J., who never STFU. 

REMAKE COVER + HAPPY WESLEY WEDNESDAY!!!

Back-to-back cover releases!
Remake finally has a cover! Yay!

And, then, I recently announced that Wesley's story was up next. I wanted to let Page Trotters have Wesley most of yesterday because I think it was cool that they let me take over their blog for the day! 

Anyway,  I am declaring today WESLEY WEDNESDAY!

Check out the cover, blurb and teaser if you didn't make it over to their blog!

Wes Elliott just met his match…and she might actually burn his entire world down.

Surfing and sex. This is Wes Elliott's life. And it's just the way he likes it.   `

After seeing his parents stay in a loveless marriage his entire life, and burying away a heartbreak from his past, he knows where romance is best left: crappy chick movies. He'd rather lust and eventually leave, and that's exactly what the plan was when he met Lana Langston.

Except…turns out she’s only in it for the thrills, too. She's always only in it for the thrills: life in the literal fast lane on her motorcycle, and the hot nights in forbidden places without the awkward talks in the mornings after. She's Wes Elliott in way tighter jeans.

So, this should be perfect, right? 

But the more time Wes spends with her, the more he wants the nights to turn into mornings. And maybe even longer.

Suddenly, it isn't so perfect for him anymore.

And the things he thought were buried are digging themselves up.  

Now Wes is in a lot of trouble.

He’s falling in love with the one girl who might be a bigger risk than even a guy who gets barreled by the most dangerous waves in the world is willing to take on.

Can Wes and Lana figure out a way to make it work? Or is he headed for something far more reckless? 

TEASER!

“Who’s he?” Wes asked, ticking his chin up at the guy Lana had been talking to earlier.

With hands on hips, she pivoted to look behind her for a second. “Him? Just Clark. But that’s not what you want to know, is it?” She draped her arms over his shoulders and pushed her body against his so suddenly that he fell back against the wall. The impact, though light, sparked a memory of a few nights before…and this same wall. The cuts on his upper back and shoulders, left by her fingernails, tingled. It didn’t take long for his jeans to feel tighter in the front.

“W-w-what do I want to know?” he said breathlessly.

Wes shuddered when Lana licked the outer curve of his ear. “You want to know…if I ever let him bend me over the furniture, and whether I left scratches on his back, too.” Her hand slipped beneath his shirt, and she tapped up his abs with her fingers. He growled out of lust or anger, or some toxic combination of them both; he wasn’t sure. But that was Lana. She never let him feel one without the other. Wes’ blood made a dizzying rush to his brain as his gaze ripped across the room, back to Clark.

Lana pressed her tongue and then her lips into his cheek before whispering, “Yes. And…yes.”

*Spring 2013*

If "Remake" is a spin-off and "next book" of "Documentary,""Recklessly" is like a close friend. It's definitely a standalone and any others with these characters will most likely be as well. 

HEEEEY WES ELLIOTT FANS....

Wanna see something cool? Like the cover to "Recklessly"?

Want more?

Like the whole thing?

And maybe get the blurb AND a teaser?

Well, then I suggest you go to: http://pagetrotter.blogspot.com/2013/03/aj-sands-day-squee-so-hard-my-paper.html?spref=tw

'Cause you might get allllll of that. 

Today. 

Now.

HUGE thanks to Page Trotters for doing the cover reveal, and going beyond that even!!! <3!!

SO much U.K. Love!!! =)

I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who got "Documentary" in the U.K. Kindle Store. So many people were picking up "Documentary" over the weekend, that the U.K. Kindle twitter feed noted that it was #9 on the "Movers and Shakers" list after making a pretty huge jump. 

So awesome!! Thank you for reading it and sharing it with your friends. The first person who EVER sent me an email about the story was a really sweet woman from the U.K.

WHAT's NEXT AFTER REMAKE -- UPDATE

(2013) Recklessly - Wes meets motorcycle riding Lana. She is a handful. They try to make it work.

(2013)*  Shades of Ethereal - Addison is forced to take a job with someone she can't stand in the town of Ethereal, NC, really far from home. She likes his son, Lyle, a lot though. But the secrets of Ethereal threaten to tear them apart.




*I had planned to wait until 2014 for one, but it came together so perfectly in my head and when I outlined it, so why wait?

"Remake" is on GoodReads.

Someone was sweet enough to add "Remake" to GoodReads! Thank you! So, I guess that means it can be TBR'ed, or the far more intelligible "marked-as-to-read."

I really can't say this enough. I think it's so cool you guys ended up liking "Documentary." I started writing it for fun while I was working on something else (for even more fun - it was about a college graduate who turns to an unconventional job because of the shitty job market, her shitty internship, and boredom-- not prostitution, but just as illegal). I got stuck on it and kept writing more of "Documentary," which is probably how it ended up sooooo long, but it's still the story I wanted to write. No regrets!

And I'm glad I took the chance on it, but more importantly, you did...that's seriously so much more important. Tons of stories never, ever get read. Tons of stories are never shared with friends. Tons of stories are never finished by readers, especially long ass ones. So that's great. Thanks!

What was I saying? Oh, "Remake" is on Good Reads.

SNEAK PEEK AT CHAPTER ONE, Part 2.

Sorry, this is no longer available! Remake's out soon though!

SNEAK PEEK AT CHAPTER ONE!!!!

Sorry, this is no longer available! Remake's out soon though!!

REMAKE PLAYLIST

 So here's the playlist for "Remake." These are all the songs I've been listening to as I write. Some definitely correspond directly to scenes, but they all fit the story in some way. I'll try to link them to You Tube soon.

Skyscraper - Demi Lovato

One In a Million - Ne-Yo

When the Light Dies Out - Christel Alsos 

Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk feat. Nate Ruess

Broken Arrow - Pixie Lott

Poison & Wine - The Civil Wars

Sure Thing - Miguel 

Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

If I Didn't Know Better - Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen (Nashville Soundtrack)

Run - Air

Documentary: new cover!

"Documentary" just got a new cover! I wanted it more focused on Dylan and Kai because it is about their love and less about the music. It's still black-and-white because I love that black-and-white has that "old film" (e.g. old documentary) quality to it. And I just don't see a lot of covers without color. Also, it makes sense for the contrast to "Remake" for where I want to go with that cover, I think.

Anyway, it should be going live on Amazon within 12 hours (that's the time frame they give for changes to book). If you take it off your Kindle and re-download (note: not re-buy, but I don't think Amazon lets you re-buy at all anyway), it should start showing up. I'm not sure if you lose highlights and bookmarks though!

Or maybe it will update automatically on devices? I'm not sure. Just make sure, you're sure before you do anything LOL. I don't want to get yelled at! =)

What inspires...? Kai's telling of what happened at the mansion party.

Kai leaving Evernight

One of the things that gets looked at a lot on my blog is the "What inspires...?" posts. It's mostly just my ramblings, but I wanted to share a serious one with you because it's directly related to something that plays out in the book. So if you haven't finished, maybe you shouldn't read this one just yet.

After Wintervention 1, Kai tells Dylan why he left Evernight, and he's recalling for her a party from years before where he saw you know who's dangerously predatory tendencies. This is based on a real situation that I witnessed and intervened in about a decade ago.

I frequented parties early in my twenties. A LOT of them. I haven't retired Party Girl status for good, but I just don't do it like I used to. One night I'm at a party of some friend of friends' with my BFFL, J,* and it's a rager. We wouldn't have even made it inside as quickly as we did if not for knowing people in the first place. The line was still stretched down the sidewalk when we left later. Anyway, I see one of my other friends, C, inside and she's a little drunk. The three of us do shots, but because I'm such a Mama Bear, I've already decided that it'll probably be my only drink for the night, and I want to be sure everyone's okay. It's, like, my thing. J and I hit the dance floor and do what we do best. C pops in every few minutes, but I see this guy, Mike,** being really clingy with her. I don't know him, but I don't like how pushy he's being. But she seems to be handling his advances. I ask her if she's okay and she says yes.

J and I had this huge group of guys who we had become close friends with because we all went to the same college and we danced with them and were just being silly. I asked one of them if he had seen C anywhere because I realized it had been awhile since she had come back. He tells me he saw her with "that tall guy" (Mike). It's been maybe an hour. I just get this feeling, you know the one.  I tell J I'll be back. The place is dark. And not even party dark. It's really dark in there, and it's a big ass house. A rental, actually. So I'm pushing through people, just looking and looking for her. Outside. Upstairs. In the front. In the back. I skip the bathroom line and bang on the door. It's not her in there.

I'm pretty sure I've looked in every place, and I'm asking if there are any other parts to the house (yes, not kidding when I say it was ginormous). Someone says there's a basement. It's a basement with a door, so unless you actually opened it, it could've just been a closet door or something, if you weren't really paying attention, especially in the dark. The party was on the main level of house. I opened the basement door, I fly down the stairs, follow the light sound of voices, and slam into C and Mike. She has that drunk delay in reaction and her motor skills aren't the best, but her body language is not welcoming. She's moving in the direction I'm coming from and he's pulling her toward him.

It's been about ten years since this happened. And I'll never forget what happened next.

We all froze and my attention went straight to her. I told her she needed to come upstairs with me now. I could see the anger in his expression and he started to aggressively coax her to stay. He was defensively telling me that they were just going somewhere to talk. And she's fine and I needed to mind my business. I grab her hand and tell her J wants to see her because we were going to request some song we all really liked, so we could dance to it. Mike turns his full-blown aggression on me, calling me a cockblock and other not so pleasant names. I ignore him for the most part other than one STFU because C is holding on to my hand, and I'm scared shitless. And I just see this look on her face like, "Please get me out of here." She starts moving me back toward the stairs.

As for him, I have never seen anybody look at me with such hatred in their eyes before. Never. And haven't since. But I held my friend's hand and we went back up. My heart was racing. I was sweating. I guess part of me expected him to attack us or something.

 C and I just made eye contact when we reached the landing. It might have only been for a few seconds, but it felt like hours, and we didn't talk about it at all later that night. I think we were both just too horrified. The rest of the night is a blur just because I think my brain went into protection mode and just shut down for a bit. It's funny, I remember the scene in the basement, down to our clothing, but nothing really after. I can't remember now if we ever talked about it, and I think Mike got thrown out of the party eventually. Oh as a side note, he was actually facing sexual assault charges at some point later on from a totally different incident.

I can't say 100% if I prevented something because I don't even want to think about it (All signs point to yes, though), even today. So, anyway, that's what inspired that scene in "Documentary" because it never left me. And it scared me for a long time. I understand well Kai's wonder of the "what if's."

I just never thought I'd be in that situation, seeing something like that.


*The initials used are for clarity only, and do not actually correspond to the people's real names.
** Not his real name.

"Remake" Synopsis

I have a synopsis for you (finally):

"Erica's charmed life changed in an instant with a devastating act of betrayal.

And so with her secret, she ran. From everything and everyone, including the person she loved most in the world.

Now she's back to take control of the life she left behind, even if she's doing so with a lot of uncertainty. And even as that event from the past still hangs over her, unresolved.

But Erica knows a thing or two about survival. 

She just wished she knew what to do about Bryson Ellis, the guy who has her heart but doesn't know her secret, and Matt Corso, the one who knows her secret and may want her heart.

 Yet just when her life slowly comes together in other ways, she suddenly finds her strength tested again.

But this time...

She's ready.

And she won't run.

This follow-up to "Documentary" picks up with a new point of view in a story about what it means to love,  forgive and never back down. 

But it's also one woman's chance to remake herself.
 
This is NA fiction. Due to the sexual content, language and violence, this work is not recommended for readers under 17. This novel also deals with subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers."

By the way, Wesley Elliott, who is my favorite character (which in the long run, I'm not sure is a good thing for him LOL), is *probably* up next. New story. Not related to anything in Documentary and Remake. Wes' story has been bugging me for weeks now, and it's totally slowing down getting Remake done.