PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY
John Green Gets It
How many times have you heard or even said yourself, “I would die if I couldn’t write.”? I
know I’ve said it, I guess I believed it … in a very dramatic sort of way. But
by “die”, I didn’t literally mean to be
six feet under. There have been times in the past when I’ve gone a few days or
a week without writing, and I’m still breathing. I meant it in a, “Writing is my end all, be all.”
I believed that too.
In a very dramatic sort of way.
Authors are melodramatic by nature, so I probably didn’t need
to actually explain that I didn’t mean to truly die … Anyway, for the last
eight-ish years, storytelling has been a large part of my existence. In the
last twelve months, I’ve transitioned from fan fiction author to self-published
author. It’s been a real experience. Opening myself to a larger audience wasn’t
easy, but despite how hard it was (and trust me, you have no idea how grueling times
were), having two books on my bookshelf with my name on them is one of the
biggest accomplishments of my life.
Okay, so I’m now searchable on Amazon and my entire family
has this cute misconception that I’m famous. At family birthday parties and
stuff, everyone always asks me about the book and end up mentioning, “I was
looking for Dusty at Target, but they must have been out.”
No, Aunt Margo, I’m
just not that cool.
Eight years ago, I was nothing more than a mother with too
many toddlers and a wife that didn’t cook all that well. So, my current family
celebrity status is pretty awesome. One would think that these are the days
when I would die if I couldn’t write,
right?!
No.
On the day that Delinquents was released, someone very important
to me (who I’ll refer to as Vernon) was diagnosed with Stage Four Renal Cell Carcinoma.
Which pretty much means the cancer he had and was “cured’ from five years ago
was actually never gone and was “hiding.” It spread through his lymph nodes and
to his brain. He was given six months to live, but since having brain surgery,
his life expectancy is longer.
Do you want to know something that is equal parts disturbing
and very me? When I was told Vernon has cancer again, the first thought to come
to mind was, “Cancer only wants to be alive.” -- John Green, The Fault in our
Stars.
I know, I’m sick … a true writer by heart.
But let me tell you how easy it is not to write when someone
you know is literally looking death in the face.
I don’t like talking about this shit. And chances are, none
of you want to hear about it. Who wants to deal with sad stuff, you know.
In my little part of the universe, we’re all about eating
better, because God forbid this be genetic and preservatives will kill you, and
making sure Vernon has someone watching him at all times. Brain surgery is the
real deal.
Putting my book release—my end all, be all—on the back
burner wasn’t something I second guessed. I don’t think I even checked sales
for Delinquents until the end of October. Online, I have all of these people
who mean so much to me telling me how much they love the book and how proud
they are, and I even had one girl tell me that I was an inspiration.
And I’m like, how can any of us live in a world that Vernon won’t
be in?
Again, very John Green-ish, but so true.
Writing is very important to me. Which is why I’m writing
this on my blog instead of confiding in a real person. But is not all I am. I’m
also a Christian, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and someone who will
be destroyed if Vernon doesn’t make it through this.
I’m an author after all of that.
We’re 11 days into NaNoWriMo, and I’m at 4 thousand words.
True Love Way is scheduled for release February 2, 2015. I may have to ask my
editor for one more extension, but I will get that book out on time.
So, my rollercoaster is on a dip (John Green inspired), but
it’s important for me to be a lot of other things right now. It has to be okay,
and I know I won’t die if I don’t write for hours a day. I’ve learned that
writing one sentence before bed is good enough.
But hey, you know what will kill you? Food additives.
Have you looked at the ingredients in tortillas lately? I
just did. It’s frightening.
Cover,
Cover it! Designs,
Cover reveal,
Dillon,
February,
Mary Elizabeth,
Pen,
Penelope,
True Love Way
True Love Way Cover Reveal
Blurb
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has learned she can be invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses.
Her mind is her own worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For a girl like her, staying in bed is easier. Especially when the day comes to start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
Dillon Decker is a typical boy from a typical small town who radiates light and happiness. Under the hovering glare of her father, Dillon leads Penelope around on his bicycle’s handlebars, hoping he will be the cure to her madness.
But as time goes by and when friend turns to lover, and lover turns to caretaker, how much can either of them endure before they’re swallowed whole?
This is a story about rollerblades and moving trucks, trading candy for smiles, and passing notes across lawns.
First love and the struggle to keep it sane.
The true love way.
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has learned she can be invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses.
Her mind is her own worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For a girl like her, staying in bed is easier. Especially when the day comes to start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
Dillon Decker is a typical boy from a typical small town who radiates light and happiness. Under the hovering glare of her father, Dillon leads Penelope around on his bicycle’s handlebars, hoping he will be the cure to her madness.
But as time goes by and when friend turns to lover, and lover turns to caretaker, how much can either of them endure before they’re swallowed whole?
This is a story about rollerblades and moving trucks, trading candy for smiles, and passing notes across lawns.
First love and the struggle to keep it sane.
The true love way.
Then the screen door opens and slams shut again, and standing beside the light Nazi is Penelope. Her hair is up now, and from what I can tell she’s not chewing gum anymore. Her knees are dirty, and her shoes are untied. The Discman isn’t on her hip, but her green sunglasses are still on her face, even though it’s nighttime.
Suddenly Mr. Finnel’s voice scares me out of my own head. “What are you looking at, boy?”
Definitely over six feet tall, the daughter Nazi isn’t leaning against the porch post anymore. He’s standing in front of his daughter, blocking my view of her.
I straighten my spine and speak too loudly, too quickly. “Nothing!”
He laughs at me again, but his eyebrows are more serious than ever. From behind her father’s arm, Penelope peeks out. I can’t see her eyes through her glasses, but I know she’s looking at me. I can’t stop looking at her.
Mr. Finnel’s laughter stops. “See something you like, boy? Do you think I’m cute?”
“Wha … what … no,” I stutter. My heart stops. He hates me.
Finally, she speaks, soft-spoken and small. “Don’t embarrass me, Dad. You’re so embarrassing.”
The heart Nazi puts his arm over his daughter’s shoulders and leads her down the steps to the walkway leading to the Chrysler.
“The boy next door is weird, Pen. Don’t talk to him,” he warns her with amusement in his voice. “He offered me bolts.”
Delinquents Limited Edition Tank Tops!!!
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2014,
Cover,
Cover it! Designs,
Cover reveal,
Dillon,
Mary Elizabeth,
October,
Pen,
The Realist,
True Love Way
True Love Way Cover Reveal Form
Summary:
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has learned she can be invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses.
Her mind is her own worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For a girl like her, staying in bed is easier. Especially when the day comes to start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
Dillon Decker is a typical boy from a typical small town who radiates light and happiness. Under the hovering glare of her father, Dillon leads Penelope around on his bicycle’s handlebars, hoping he will be the cure to her madness.
But as time goes by and when friend turns to lover, and lover turns to caretaker, how much can either of them endure before they’re swallowed whole?
This is a story about rollerblades and moving trucks, trading candy for smiles, and passing notes across lawns.
First love and the struggle to keep it sane.
The true love way.
Delinquents (Dusty #2) Cover Reveal
Coming: October 23, 2014
The innocent girl with a delinquent heart has to live with her bad choices. Secret hope and hurt feel like falling while she learns how to breathe again, but there's still freedom in trouble.
The runaway with blacked-out eyes is losing his grip. Crushing two hearts in one fist, his addiction bends rules and breaks deals, but the boy born for bliss isn't going anywhere without a fight.
Love is knowing they should stay away, but love is illogical at best.
She's afraid to let go.
He won't let her.
This is how silliness and foolishness grow up.
Here, forever is a lie.
I stand silent, breathing in through my nose and out my mouth. Tonight’s argument is years of frustration stacked and hidden, too tall to push away anymore. A little trigger is all it takes, and we end up like this, saying things we don’t mean, taking our aggravation out on each other.
My heart pumps misguided love.
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” it beats. “But that’s your boy—aimless and crazy for you.”
Knowing that I had a role on his spiral to the bottom kills me. As his parents continue to fail him, I should be the one that steps forward and says, “This is wrong.”
But to do so at this point in his madness would be betrayal, and I have to handle his trust with care.
Inhaling an uneven breath, I watch him under the moon’s glow washing out his already pale complexion. Icy wind blows my boy’s white tee against his slender body under his unzipped hoodie, and his hands shake at his sides.
Mary was born and raised in Southern California. She is a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She's a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night. Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it's perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she's not letting go until every story is told.
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure."--Jeremiah 17:9
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Sarah Elizabeth is the author of Innocents, Delinquents, Don't Let Me Go, and various other projects under various other pen names. for more information, visit:
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Delinquents (Dusty #2) Cover Reveal Coming Soon!!!
The runaway with blacked-out eyes is losing his grip. Crushing two hearts in one fist, his addiction bends rules and breaks deals, but the boy born for bliss isn't going anywhere without a fight.
Love is knowing they should stay away, but love is illogical at best.
She's afraid to let go.
He won't let her.
This is how silliness and foolishness grow up.
Here, forever is a lie.
True Love Way
TRUE LOVE WAY
Mary Elizabeth
December 2014
Some
days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has learned she can be
invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses.
Her
mind is her own worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For
a girl like her, staying in bed is easier. Especially when the day come to
start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are
not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
Dillon
Decker is a typical boy from a typical small town who radiates light and
happiness. Under the hovering glare of her father, Dillon leads Penelope around
on his bicycle’s handlebars, hoping he will be the cure to her madness.
But
as time goes by and when friend turns to lover, and lover turns to caretaker,
how much can either of them endure before they’re swallowed whole?
This
is a story about rollerblades and moving trucks, trading candy for smiles, and passing
notes across lawns.
First
love and the struggle to keep it sane.
The
true love way.
Add it to your To Be Read List!
About the Author
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Mary Elizabeth is an up and coming author who
finds words in chaos, writing stories about the skeletons hanging in your
closets.
Born and raised in Southern California, she's a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She’s a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night. Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it’s perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she’s not letting go until every story is told.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”—Jeremiah 17:9
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