new adult romance – Page 8 – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

X – XOXO – Acknowledgements

Published on April 28, 2014April 28, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle12 Comments

THIS is my favorite part of the writing process. Acknowledging all those who have contributed to making Another New Life happen.

First, I have to thank God for his grace and patience. It took me a while to find my gift and now that I have found it, I am forever thankful for His blessings.

To my family for putting up with my hair brain schemes, this one I actually finished. Mom, Dad, Kevin, Jimmy, Patrina – Love you!

Pk Hrezo, Tianna Doyle, Emily Robertson & Vanessa Aapiah. The most honest, supportive and enthusiastic beta readers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. You all brought a unique perspective and made my story better.

A big thank you and your the best, to Jade at Black Firefly who answered all my questions and guided me through the whole production process. We created a beautiful book, don’t you think?

Huge thank you to Rachel Marks and the team at Mark My Words Book Publicity. They took on my book like it was their own and helped me navigate the world of marketing.

Thanks to Allyson Whipple and her editing assistance.

Special shout out Jenny Sims at Editing 4 Indies. She proofread Another New Life, but will be my editor of choice for future projects.

Another special shout out to Arijana Karčić at Cover It! Designs. She is a vision personifier (is that a word). She made my characters come to life in the form of book cover genius.

An enormous amount of gratitude goes to Suzanne Van Rooyen for being my musical guru. She shared her extensive knowledge in piano and musical performance and helped me make Miranda a true music prodigy.

A special shout out to some of my favorite, most inspirational, and motivational bloggers who I have gotten to know over the last three years.

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Arlee Bird

Nicole at Madlap Post

Katie Cross – my most consistent commentor

Kitt Crescendo

*Many more that I could name, but I only have a page to work with.

All the members of the New Adult Authors Unite! Facebook Group

All the members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group

My fellow inked up writers featured on Tattoo Tuesday

And, finally, I wanted to acknowledge a few NA authors with recent releases who blogged, Facebooked and tweeted about their journeys and made me feel like I could do this, too. (Note, I’m not even sure if I am allowed to mentioned them in the book, but I want to make sure and mention them here.)

Claudia Bradshaw – Sin for Love

AJ Pine – If Only

Brianna Lee – Rush Into You

Paige Rion – Written on Her Heart

Faith Sullivan – Hold me Tight

Cassie Mae – How to Seduce a Band Geek

XOXO Kisses and Hugs to everyone. If I forgot anyone, please forgive me, this is my first time. Thanks to the A to Z Challenge bloggers, as well. Do you like writing your acknowledgment page or do you worry you might forget someone?

W – What Others Are Saying About #Another New Life

Published on April 26, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

I can’t believe it did that. For some of you, you already read my X post. I skipped right over W and I am so sorry. W is a great letter. It didn’t deserve that. I should never work past 1:00 am.

If you read X, great. You will get to read it again on Monday, but here is W.

There is no better felling for a writer then when you receive positive feedback about your work. Over the beta and critique process, these are some of the things others said about Another New Life.

“Great pace.”

“I am so loving this right now.”

“I’ve read the first chapter and I really like it!!! Main characters definitely likable.”

“The characterization and writing are great.”

“First and foremost, I LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!”

“I absolutely loved it.”

“LLLOOOOVVVEEEEDDD IIITTTT!!!”

If you want to hear more, check out my reviews on Goodreads!

What’s your favorite compliment you ever received about your writing?

Author Spotlight on Who’s Reviews

ANL Excerpt & Teaser on Nevaeh’s New Adult Book Blog

V – Vomit

Published on April 25, 2014April 24, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle15 Comments

Every one know what feels like to vomit, but did you know there are three different types of vomit triggers?

There is the spoiled food or drink trigger.

There is the inebriated or hung over trigger.

There is the emotional trauma induced trigger.

Miranda experienced the later.

I lost it. My insides clutched together like in a vise and my whole body convulsed as I threw up breakfast and lunch. After I had emptied my stomach, my body continued to dry heave and shake. I willed myself to stop before I hurt myself. I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and tried to stand up straight. Dizziness took over, and I grabbed the tree again.

When the dizziness and panic subsided, all I had left were tears. Hot, thick tears fell from my eyes. I didn’t bother wiping them away. I took one step forward while still holding on to the branch for support. I took another step and confident I could walk on my own. I let go. I walked past the party and down the street. I turned left at the corner and then took off in a sprint.

What triggered the last time you . . ., you know?

U – Undeniable Attraction

Published on April 24, 2014April 23, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle8 Comments

Taking a break from the blog for the day and turning the letter U over to Paige Rion. Her novel, Written on her Heart was released yesterday and she here to talk to you about Undeniable Attraction. Welcome Paige.

First, I want to thank Sydney for having me on her blog. We decided to each share a post for the A to Z challenge. I hope I do her blog justice.

One of the main ingredients of a successful romance novel is undeniable attraction. In most romance novels, it’s usually pretty apparent from the start that a rare chemistry exists between the main character and their love interest. Whether it’s love at first site or a love hate relationship at first sight, the characters are undeniably attracted to each other. But this attraction doesn’t come free. In a good book, there’s some form of complication or conflict that is keeping them apart. And that’s what makes the story interesting.

In my new release, Written On Her Heart, there’s plenty of attraction between the main character Andi Callaway and Ford Delaney. Ford is a world famous novelist, he’s sexy, brooding, and he’s her literary idol. When she happens to snag a job as his assistant, it creates room for a lot of sparks. But her long-time boyfriend and her “life-plan” get in the way, causing her to deny her budding feelings for the hunky author. For fun, I’d like to share a snippet of the book with you. This is the first scene in which their attraction for each other becomes apparent.

“Can I trust you?” he asked.

“Of course.” She reached a hand out, placing it on his arm, despite the voice in her head screaming at her to stay put. Her skin burned where it touched his and she sensed something dangerous between them. Kinetic. Electric. Like the first rumble of thunder before a storm.

“My situation—the way I feel—it’s ironic. Don’t you think?” he said. “The one thing that always centered me, the one thing that helped me to find myself, to cope—my writing—has somehow made me come undone again. I need to remember why I write. I need to remember why I love it so much. That’s part of the reason I came here. Yes, to hide out and let the press calm down, but I also came here to find a way to write again. To find the joy. You—your enthusiasm, your determination—helps to remind me.”

Her? Andi’s heart thudded in her chest.

He reached out, placing his hand on the side of her face, and before she could stop herself, she leaned into him, covering his hand with her own. She met his eyes and her breathing hitched. Pins pricked her spine and her pulse pounded in her ears. He leaned in and ducked his head, his mouth only inches from hers. The warmth of his sweet breath moved over her lips, and for a moment, she closed her eyes, not thinking, only feeling. But in the second before their lips met, she blinked, the fog in her head clearing, and she pressed a palm to his chest.

“I’m sorry. I have a boyfriend.” She breathed.

Ford pulled away, his eyes beacons of light in the darkness. “Of course you do.” He straightened and took a step back, as if Andi was something dangerous, something he had to get away from. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered something she couldn’t decipher under his breath.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, then said, “Be at my place Monday, nine a.m., ready to work. I’ll find a way home.” Then, he turned on his heel and left her sitting alone in the darkness.

~From Written On Her Heart by Paige Rion

NOW ON SALE – 99 Cents for the release!

To learn more about this book and where you can purchase it, CLICK HERE

T – Troy Anderson

Published on April 22, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle13 Comments

Here is the character sketch on my male MC – Troy Anderson.

Role in Story: Miranda childhood best friend and love interest in college.

Physical Description: 6’2, 200 pounds, quarterback for the UT Longhorns. Dirty blonde, shaggy hair, athletic build, vivid green eyes and beautiful hands.

Habits/Mannerisms: Polite, well mannered guy. Treats women very well. Focused on his craft, drama turns him off, and he sees the good in people, first. He doesn’t handle conflict well, as avoids it.

Background: He red shirted his first year and in his sophomore year, he is the back up quarterback and gets to play a few games when starting quarterback get’s injured. Highly recruited in high school and everyone expects him to go to the NFL. He isn’t close to his family and his friends are his family. He has an older half brother, but they haven’t seen each other in years.

Internal Conflicts: Living up to expectations

External Conflicts: Get Miranda to give them a chance and forgive him for not protecting her when they were kids.

My favorite Quote: “Well, it just makes sense.” He rubbed his lips against mine. “We’re supposed to be together.”

What do you think of my male MC? Do you do character sketches?