What's in store for 2016?

At seven months pregnant, I'm slipping into that lovely nesting stage where I want everything organized and ready for the baby. Somehow, that has extended to my characters and their stories because I know that I'll be useless when the baby arrives. I go into hibernation and don't emerge for a good three months.

So to ring in the New Year's right I wanted to talk about what books will be published and what I am or plan on writing.

First up? 

UNHINGE releases in DAYS.

Nine Days to be exact. (But who's counting?)

That's terrifying to me because I tend to be more attached to the Fairfax cast than most of my characters. I'm obsessed with their flaws and the inner workings of their minds. They always feel so real to me.Victoria is no exception. Like Naomi, she feels trapped in Fairfax. She's starting to realize that she doesn't belong there. Yet in order to leave she has to uncover the past and find out what led her to Fairfax in the first place.

Her story, to me, was equally as heartbreaking as Naomi's but for completely different reasons. I remember when I first wrote about her in Unravel. Even then she was very compelling to me. Who was this beautiful woman, walking around in full make-up, pajamas and that fur coat? Why was she always humming to her baby? Why did she speak in riddles and always look like her head was in the clouds?

She was enchanting yet I knew that there was something gruesome in her past and I HAD to find out.

I'd be the biggest liar if I said Victoria's book was easy to write. It wasn't. There were so many layers to her story and I had to flesh out every single part. Even the parts that were extremely dark.

But I'm so happy in how her story turned out. I hope you all enjoy her story. And I hope you're excited to walk back down the halls of Fairfax!!


Up next?

LACHLAN, LACHLAN, LACHLAN! 

Yes, he has a book. :) For the past year I've been outlining and working on scenes for his story whenever I had the chance. And while there's a huge part of me that is so ready to go back to the characters of Unravel, I'm also scared out my mind.
Naomi gripped ahold of my heart while I wrote her story. It's easy to connect with her but hard to detach from her. And she plays such a HUGE role in Lachlan's story.

There's not much I can say without spoiling the story, just that Unravel started it all. Unlock will end it.

Not the cover. Just an image that reminds me of Lachlan's story. :) 

LASTLY..
I'm extremely excited to start digging into The Surviving Trace.
I love this story with all my heart. When I open up the manuscript or even do research, my pulse picks up because there's something so special about this book. There's many elements as to why. One being that at the beginning (seven years ago) this story and characters were once part of Unravel. About six months before I published Unravel I cut this HUGE chunk out. I'm talking 50k worth of words. (Yeah it's just a number but believe me, it kills a writers heart.) There was just SO MUCH already going on in Unravel. It would've been too much storyline.
But I couldn't delete this other half of the story. It had less to do about the amount of words but the worth of them and what they meant to me. So much about TST made my heart race and screamed at me to finish.
So I put it away, determined that at some point I'd open the manuscript back up.

Every day I work on this story I find something different to love about it. It's unique and that's a breath of fresh air for me.  

Fairfax stories present their own challenges, like not revealing anything too soon. And The Surviving Trace has the same vibe— I have to watch how I introduce certain characters or how a scene plays out. TST has mystery and suspense, but at its core it is nothing but a love story.

I can't wait for you all to meet Serene and Étienne!! (If you look through the first chapter of Unravel you will see the smallest glimpse of them. ;) )

2016 may not seemed horribly packed, but I like it this way. 2015 was filled with nothing but comparisons. Of me watching other authors publish, publish, publish while I was trying to finish just one story. I want to slow down and really appreciate my characters. I only have one chance to enjoy their stories and it's so easy to forget that.

NAOMI DAY

"I press my forehead against the window and breathe on the glass..."

Okay, so it's not actually Naomi's birthday. But today is pretty close runner up.
Today is  UNRAVEL's first pub birthday. Which seems crazy to me. I feel like this last past year has been a big blur. Really great things have happened. All because of this book and because of the readers.

Leading up the release of Unravel was nothing but anxiety and fears that her story wouldn't be accepted. I knew a story like Naomi's was non-existent in the Indie World. There was no one category that it fit into. It wasn't New Adult. Certainly wasn't contemporary. Suspense or thriller? I didn't know.
Publishing is a game of Russian Roulette. The minute you send the book out in the world is the second that you resign yourself to fact that your beloved story may do great.
Or really, really bad.
But Naomi's story was embraced. People started talking about it, spreading the word. Dissecting the story, going back and re-reading to find the truth in her words.
And to see that was amazing.

Seven years ago I was prowling through the bookshelves. I would stop in the R section, right next to Nora Roberts' books, and envision one of my books there.
In August, I got to actually see that happen. Thanks to you, the reader. A really phenomenal agent that saw it's potential, and amazing team at Ballantine!

Turkish Version of UNRAVEL—Published by Yabancı Yayınları. 

"Listen closely. Hang onto every word. But most of all, please believe me." 

I get a lot of questions about UNTANGLE. This book is separate from Naomi's. Although you did meet Victoria in Naomi's book. I WANT to say more, but just like Naomi's story, I'm keeping my lips zipped. :)
Something I can talk a little bit about? The cover. I've seen it and LOVE it. I can't wait for it to be revealed. The picture chosen for the cover is 100% Victoria and fits her story perfectly.

And we can't forget Lachlan. He does have a story, and it's definitely not a retelling of Unravel. His book will pick up where we left off in Unravel, give or take a few months.
I've outlined and worked on a few chapters here or there. Just from those few scenes, I can see that Unravel was just scratching the surface... ;)

Sneak Peek at Unravel!!!

I'm so excited today because The Autumn Review has the first CHAPTER of Unravel!!!

*deep breaths*

I am working on this twisted story right now, and I'm so, so, so anxious for everyone to get a glimpse into Naomi's world. 
I don't even have the right words to really describe this book. 
It has me shaking with excitement. Makes me anxious to write and scared to see what happens next!!

So go! Go read the first chapter and tell me what you think! 

Click here for the First Chapter!

What is next?

First thing is first...the release of Breaking the Wrong.
Deep breath.
You guys' have made this release AMAZING. I read EVERY review and all of them make me tear up because I was so scared over this story. I was playing with fire by having my main characters two characters that weren't exactly golden at the end of Every Which Way. But you guys' GET THEM, and that means so much!

So many stories are in my head. It's not even right!! But each and every one has me so excited and I can't wait to share more with you about them!!

But here is what I'm working on RIGHT NOW: Mathias' book, Ruin You Completely. I like that each one of these Sloan brothers gives me a challenge and pushes me to go further than I'm comfortable with.
But we all know Mathias is the most challenging brother. Thayer, Macsen and Mathias all have hidden layers to them. (Like we all have.) But I think Mathias has WAY more than I really expected.
Next month I plan on posting his synopsis but I can't wait for everyone to really get to know Mathias and to meet Katia. These two... these two already have me shaking a bit.

After Mathias' book, Thayer gets a book. I didn't plan that. I thought he was done in Every Which Way, but when I started outlining and writing out Mathias' book, I started to think, "What if these two (Sev and Thayer) were tested? Would Severine stick around or would she bail?"
Yes, they've been through a lot. But I think this is more than a test. Thayer's the golden boy, and throughout everything that's happened in the Sloan Family, he's been pretty resistant to those changes.
But I'm seeing him differently now that everything is CHANGING for him. And I kind of love it!!

After Thayer, I hope to work on Lily Partlow's book (Remember Severine's best friend?) Her story has been weighing on my mind for months. I see it over and over in my head. I just need to sit down and write it out. Or there needs to be more time in a day. :(

ANDDD. Then there's Chris Bresloff. I've read your messages and comments and YES, Chris definitely has his own book. He's too crazy NOT to have his own story. :) You've been introduced to the girl in his story already. His book will be out in 2014.

Emilia's siblings: Aniston and Eden? Those two will have their own stories. Yesterday, Aniston's story came to me and I was frantically writing everything down before I forgot because it's GRIPPING me. It has some nasty layers of reality and the truth of what's really out there that we turn our cheek to. I'm so excited about it!!

And that's what I'm battling over writing right now, Mathias or Aniston.. Mathias or Aniston.
Either WAY, I love both stories so much.



Check those bold words. You might find the title for the last Sloan brothers novel. ;)