A Little About New Projects And A Little About Clandstine

I just got back from camping today and it’s been a very productive writing day. My kids have been absorbed in activities that they haven’t been able to do much in the last week or so which has allowed me to be very efficient with my latest project.

I am super excited about it because the main character of this one is a totally blind person. It isn’t as easy as you would think to write a character like that. Sure I can’t see so I can easily get into the person’s head to write them that’s true. But a reader (especially a sighted reader) wants description. A blind reader wants description too but for a different reason. I live by the saying that an audio book is a blind person’s television. This is because you don’t miss anything when you read like you do when you listen to your favorite show or movie.

Anyway as always I’m veering off track. In order to make a blind main character work affectively I have decided to make her someone who became blind rather than someone who was born that way. She has only been blind for a year so she is still in the stage where she is pretty much a Debbie Downer on the subject. It hasn’t dawned on her yet in the book that blindness isn’t the end of the world.

I went through a lot of mixed emotions when I lost my sight. I have also had gobs of people ask what that was like and how it felt. I thought it would be a good element to add to the story of such a multi faceted character.

The book is still in the beginning stages so I don’t want to give away much but I will tell you that I’m only at chapter 4 and I’m already falling in love with it. Don’t get me wrong I love Clandestine too but in an entirely different way. The Bound In Blood series is fun to write and I have put a lot into it. But with this project I’ve really delved into my soul and put a piece of my soul into it.

I hope you adore this story as much as I do. I am unsure yet if it will be a series but can definitely see the potential for one with the plot that is unraveling.

I promise to keep you up to date on that and also with the second book in the Bound In Blood series Divinity whenever possible. I know I have been neglecting my blogs lately and for that I’m sorry, I truly am. But its summer time so both kids are home full time, we’ve been camping a bunch and also been devoted to the new books I’m working on coupled with getting Clandestine out for your viewing pleasure.

There have been a lot of questions about whether or not Clandestine will be made into an audio book. When it is released it will only be available in print and EBook. BUT I promise that an audio version will be made available as soon as that is possible. Unfortunately, the production of an audio book is very expensive. I looked into hiring a narrator but the cheapest I have found is five hundred dollars and right now that is just not an option for me. That is definitely one down side to self publishing, accessible formats take a while if they come at all.

I have been looking into finding someone I know read it for me but that isn’t as easy as it looks either. I have to be sure the person has the right quality and tone to their voice to portray Emily as well as the rest of the slayer gang. It will be done I promise. I’m just not sure when.

I will write again soon and let you know how things are going. PS… I will be posting this same post on both my blogs so all of you will be equally informed.

YAY FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

It’s only a few hours away from officially being the 4th of July. I must confess that this is probably my favorite holiday. I have always loved it and even now without my sight I feel like a kid again every time all the big booms start.

Of course the gorgeous illumination of the sparkling lights is lost on me but I can still imagine them in my mind. I can still feel the rumble of the really big ones and still jump every time they go off.

I enjoy listening to my girls get excited every time a new color pattern brightens up the sky after dark. Peanut of course loves all of them but especially gets a kick out of the green ones since that’s her favorite color. Princess is mainly after the bomb style hold on to your butt explosions. She especially loves that starting last year she got to light some off on her own. PS there was an adult with her the entire time. Mommy’s a little paranoid just sayin

Tomorrow we will be spending the day with family for a fun day of barbeque and fireworks. Even though the whole family won’t be in attendance I know the day will go off without a hitch.

I hope you all have a happy and say 4th. May all your pyrotechnic dreams come true… lol

Nicole's Revolution

So I’ve been seriously considering lately that I need to start a revolution. The only problem is I don’t have any ideas. I know I could totally start one, no really I could. I don’t have any super powers and I’m not as exciting as some revolution starters but I still think I got what it takes.

I was thinking the first step should be to start a petition to abolish the production and sale of Marshmallow Peeps. I know that might seem small in the big scheme of things but sometimes it takes baby steps to win the war. Those weird little things are disturbing and they have to go.

Maybe next I could politely inform stores that the woman’s department should change their sizing practices. For instance, a large could actually say small on the label. Honestly, that’s just good business sense. Ladies would much rather purchase a dress that made her feel smaller and better about herself. Plus, who wants to say they are a large when they could say they are a small. If the stores banded together and made this dream a reality then when someone said they were a small they wouldn’t get the strange looks implying they were nuts. Just sayin…

The third step should be something less obvious. Maybe it would look as though I’m doing nothing but that’s the beauty of it. In reality I would be behind the scenes making something happen. It would be glorious and wonderful you just wouldn’t know what it was.

Okay, so it looks like I have the start of a good plan. I of course would love all the support I can get. That being said… WHO’S WITH ME????

LOL: Stay tuned for the next ridiculous installment of Nicole’s Revolution.

Series Name Conundrum

So I really love the title of my book. It has been Clandestine for a very long time. I am however, still kind of unsure about the whole “Slayer Saga” thing.

That being said I am looking to all of my readers for there opinion and advice. I would really appreciate it if you could leave a comment under this post letting me know your thoughts.

The book will be coming out next month but there is still time to make that last minute alteration. Keep in mind that the book is about vampires but from a slayer stand point. I am trying to think of something that will make the book stand out amongst a sea of other paranormal books on a search engine. I want it to be something catchy but not over used.

Some ideas have been thrown out there in the mix. They are:
“When Blood Calls”,
“Her Blood Calls”,
“Birth Right”,
“A Trail Of Blood”,
“Inheritance”,
“True Calling”,
“Blood Calls”,
“Blood Calling”,
“Blood Oath”,
“Bonded By Blood”
“Blood Bond”
Blood Bonded”
“Legacy Calls”
“Blood Unity”
“Blood Promise”
“Darkness Calls”
“Crimson Calling”


Another idea was to make Clandestine the series name and create a new title. Do any of you like that idea? I am torn personally. I have loved Clandestine as a title for so long it’s hard for me to think of it as anything else. But if it will work better as the series title instead, I am open to that. If so, I would kind of prefer to keep the main title as a one word thing. The reason why is because the second book in the series is called Divinity and so I kind of wanted to stay in the same one word pattern. But creativity means change and I’m open if necessary.


Do you like any of those? Whether your answer is yes or no why do you feel that way? Do any of them seem like something that you could see picking up and reading? So I guess what I’m really asking what title would have you wanting more?

As mentioned before if you have any ideas please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section of this post. If you need some inspiration you can click HERE to read a brief synopsis of what the book is about.

Thanks for your consideration and opinions. I’ll let you all know what I decide.

Hollow Land By Amanda Hocking

I recently read Hollow Land by Amanda Hocking Well, technically because of the whole blind thing I listened to it via download from Audible I think I would give this book 4 *’s. It’s a Young Adult read that even the grown ups will love.

I must admit that I don’t normally go for this type of book. I love paranormal and the supernatural but this book falls more under the Sci-Fi category. It’s a tale of the end of the world brought forth because of a virus outbreak plaguing the world and turning its citizens into zombies.

Before I get started talking about the book in more depth I have to warn that my spelling of some of the characters names might not be accurate. Thanks to having only read the audio version you are stuck with my interpretation of how their names are spelled.

The main character Remie King is a strong brave nineteen year old who is a survivor at her core. In some aspects of her life she is guarded and maybe even a little jaded but honestly who could blame her. She has spent the entire last year dodging and fighting zombies to protect herself and those she cares about.

The book starts out with her in a Government quarantine meant to be a safe haven for those citizens who have not yet been infected with the virus. When zombies overtake the high school that they call home Remy and a couple friends are forced to flee. Before she goes she discovers that the soldier who had been watching over her and her kid brother has been bitten. That means he is destined to become one of the monsters. He informs her that her brother had been the first evacuated from the quarantine when security was breeched. Max is only eight years old and the only blood family that Remie has left.

She sets off to find him. This means traveling across the country mostly on foot. The only trouble is zombies are everywhere and food and weaponry are scarce commodities.

For those reader seeking a little Romance this book has that too but in a subtle way. Remie meets a rock star named Lazlo. He clearly has a thing for her but at Remie doesn’t want anything to do with him. She things he’s an idiot who wouldn’t have made it as far as he had if it wasn’t for his companion Blue. Also, getting close would mean giving a part of herself that she has had closed off for a long time. Even when she starts to come to terms with her feelings for him she pushes them back and ignores them. No matter what she does Lazlo isn’t detoured though.

Remie refuses to give up on her quest for her brother even when the odds are stacked against her and the friends she meets along the way. It’s a race against time. The zombies want live food and Remie and her friends are the main course.

Hollow Land is the first book in The Hollows series by Hocking. It’s an action packed thrill ride that will leave you wanting more even if it’s not your typical genre choice. If you don’t mind a little gore and you love suspense this book is definitely right for you.

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You're Just Sayin That Cuz You're Old

I keep thinking this morning about time and how quickly it passes. When I first became a mommy everyone around me told me not to blink because I would miss something.

I scoffed, “Yeah right. You’re just sayin that because you’re old.”

Now I’m twenty-eight with two kids that are soon to be eleven and three and a half. I find myself telling one of my cousins who just ad a baby not to blink. Then I shudder inwardly at the revelation that the statement I just made condemned me to being old too. That’s right I Nicole Rae am old, or at least getting there fast with no end in sight.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

So I know I’m not truly old. Obviously, I’m not even thirty. But I’m pretty close. I have Princess going into Junior High this fall. The other day she brought home a slip where she got to pick her elective and we both had to sign it. As cliche and old as it makes me sound I still remember the day I brought that same slip home for my parents to sign. I thought I was the coolest thing alive. It felt like a right of passage in my life.

Then I of course got to Junior High and realized the reality. I was a little fish in a big pond. I had to learn to swim harder and faster than I ever thought possible in order to keep up. But it was good. Junior High taught me a lot. Of course that always isn’t a good thing but hey, lessons learned are lessons learned.

I worry about Princess going to a bigger school with bigger kids and bigger homework loads. She is a very smart kid but the pressures can be overwhelming for anyone and hope that she is strong enough to not succumb to them. I have every confidence in her though. Sure there will be bumps along the way but that is to be expected when embarking on any new adventure.

Peanut will be starting Pre-School in the fall. My youngest baby is going to school. I am somewhat sad to see this milestone reached so early but am excited for her. Everyday she watches Princess go to school and wonders why she doesn’t get to go. Soon though, she will be getting on a school bus and headed to her new classroom and she can’t wait. Even as I write this she is standing at the coffee table practicing writing her name and playing with a book she was given at her school intake appointment.

Did I mention that in the fall I will have four days a week of me time??? A tiny part of me can’t figure out what I am going to do with myself. The bigger more rational part of me says…

HALLELUJAH!!!

Like most moms I don’t get very many days off. Being a single parent I don’t have a spouse to share the joys and pit falls of parenting with. It is all on my shoulders and boy are my arms tired. Sorry bad joke lol.

I am eager to have a few hours a day with utter silence. No TV, No booming stereos, no fighting, no crying, no tantrums, no mommy can I’s… NOTHING. Just me and me alone to relax. It will be nice to be able to clean up and not have the entire task ruined when one of them comes behind me. It will be nice to be able to put my full concentration into writing. Hell, I will be able to nap all by myself if I want to. I will be able to get errands done without another million mommy can I’s.

I totally adore my girls and wouldn’t change a single hair on their head. I love spending time with them and that is a fact. But I am also looking forward to the much deserved, long awaited for me time.


Please show your support and “Like” my Facebook Page. It’s fairly new and doesn’t have a lot of supporters yet. It will only take a second and you’d be helping spread the word about an emerging author. Don’t forget Clandestine comes out this summer so I need all the help I can get. To visit and like the my author Facebook Page please click HERE

Walking Into Editing Blindly (Pun Intended)

I love to write. It is my honest to God passion in life. It is the one outlet in life that I have and can call my own. It is no one else’s but mine and no one can take it away from me. Well technically, if my computer breaks or gets stolen it could be taken from me but that’s beside the point.

Now don’t get me wrong, I of course have my girls, my dog, my house and my health. When I say it’s the only thing I have to call my own I mean outside of home life. It’s something I can get lost in even if only for a little while. It’s more than just a hobby for me. It’s my dream. Even if God forbid not one copy of my book ever sells, at least I know I did it. I created something that I poured my heart, my soul and my time into and put it out there for the whole world to see.

For the most part I can write about anything. The hardest part for me though is the editing. I never used to mind editing and still don’t for the most part. But since I have lost my sight it has gotten so much more cumbersome.

The fun aspect of editing that has always been for me is content editing. You know when you move into a new house and you get to unpack the boxes and decide where everything is going to go? That’s how I feel when I do content editing. It can be a totally enjoyable experience to rework sentences and add things you had forgot about. It’s cool to be able to dig in and develop characters and really put yourself into their head and see how they tick.

The great part about getting into their head is that what’s inside it is whatever you want. You are the mastermind. It’s up to you how a person or a scene is formed. It is puddy in your capable hands. However you decide to shape it is all on you.

Okay, so now that the fluffy side of editing is taken care of it’s down to the nitty gritty stuff. Now you have to check and see that all your paragraphs are indented properly, commas are where they should be and you didn’t run any words together as one in your haste of finishing the story.

Seems fairly easy right? WRONG! At least when you’re blind it’s wrong anyway.

Sometimes the all mighty spell checker doesn’t pick things up. For instance if you spelled the word “right” but you meant to say “Write”, it might not be picked up.

When you can see, this isn’t a problem because you can give it a once or twice over and say to yourself… “Hey, that isn’t supposed to be like that”. When you are blind, you hear the voice of your computer say the word “right” and assume it is the right spelling. It doesn’t sound any different if something is spelled wrong or not. If you don’t have someone to check your work for you then the task becomes quite tedious. You have to go sentence by sentence, word by word and in some cases even letter by letter to fix problems. That is not a fun or enjoyable process.

Luckily, with Clandestine I have the privilege of working with my beloved Gram. She has been a God send in the editing dilemma. Without her I wouldn’t be as far as I am with the book. She has been amazing at picking up on the natty gritty that makes me want to pull my hair out.

I have a tendency to type pretty quickly when my creative juices are flowing. I get all the words out in a rush of pages before they overwhelm my brain into explosion. There’s nothing wrong with that except for the fact that it’s easy to forget spaces between words or have the problem mentioned about where you type one word but mean another. For whatever reason when you run two words together it isn’t always caught by the spell checker. The reason for this astounds me. The word clearly is spelled wrong. It is two words that have been smushed together that in no language or context make a new word.
Well, that’s not totally true. I am thinking of compiling my own dictionary of words that I have created. Some of them are kinda cool actually. Just saying

Anyway, I am over half way done editing for Clandestine I can hardly wait for its total completion when I can sit back and enjoy my handwork. Well, at least for like five minutes because then it’s on to marketing it and fully jumping into Divinity.

Not to mention the other million and five half finished projects and tid bits that are floating inside my computer waiting to be crafted. I am fully committed to finishing each and every last one of them. Or more accurately, I have to finish them or I will probably be committed to a rubber room. Not that there’s anything wrong with that for those readers who are scanning this post from the comfort of their straight jacket.

But I digress. I really appreciate all of my readers and those of you who have supported me from the beginning when my only publicly viewed writing was on Playing The Blind Card. Oh, and also my family who have been forced to read all my writing since the beginning of time when I first learned what I Haiku was and scribbled my first story down with my super cool metallic ink pens (thanks mom and dad).

Until next time remember…

Write write write and just when you think you can’t write anymore, do some typing. xoxoxoxoxox