Future Letters Giveaway!

I'm giving away three copies of  of Future Letters on Goodreads.  These copies all have the new cover and will be signed.  So if you already have an e-version of the book and want a hard copy, or want a hard copy with the new cover, or don't have the book and want it for free check out the giveaway.
The giveaway ends January 2, 2013.
Thank you to those who've already entered.  And of course thank you to everyone who's read it. :-D

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Future Letters

by H.R. Willaston

Giveaway ends January 02, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

New Future Letters Cover

The UPS guy just delivered the new copies of Future Letters with their brand new covers!!  I'm so excited!  I like this cover SO much better.

With a bit of brainstorming with a friend and being surrounded five days a week with high school students who doodle and draw on ALL their work, I feel this cover is much more fitting.  I doubt it'll be on any "Best Cover" List or something like this, but I'm very happy with it.

 And as you can see Laura-Glue is too. ;-)

Updated Future Letters

 Future Letters has a new cover!  Here are some pictures of the cover, plus the 3D pictures of the book.

Things to do when your sick...

... and November is just two days away.

When you're sick you're suppose to drink lots of fluids and sleep, right?  Drinking I can do.  Sleeping - not so much.  I've been trying, but it's just not working.  So I've used my sick-kid time getting all the Future Letters stuff done that I wanted to get done.

I updated it a bit (didn't make any major changes to the story, I promise), added a new cover and uploaded it for sale on Nook, Kobo and the new version for Kindle and paperback through Amazon.  I know the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" but obviously people do or else there wouldn't be "Best Cover" lists on sites like Goodreads. 

The old cover was okay.  It really wasn't what I had in mind, but every time I tried to take a picture of what I wanted it just never looked right.  I'm definitely not Dylan Mead and do not have his photography skills (although I do like taking pictures).  With some brainstorming with a friend plus working at a high school  where students doodle all over their work and notes - the new cover was born!  According to one of my doodle art students it looks pretty cool.

So now I'm back to the waiting game.  Waiting for all the sights to finish publishing the newest version of Future Letters - complete with new cover, additional acknowledgements and (hopefully) a table of contents that will work on the readers. 

Not that I'm happy to be sick - it sucks - but these last two days off have given me the chance to completely clear up all Future Letters updating so I will have a completely clean slate on November 1.

What's the big deal about November 1?  It's National Novel Writing Month!  Last year my NaNoWriMo project was Future Letters.  This year it's the complete rewrite of Nine Days. 

I actually wrote Nine Days in Spring 2011.  It was the first full book I wrote and at the time it was called "Where You Belong".  I loved the plot idea for the story.  Loved the spinoff idea for a series that I got from the story's setting.  After re-reading the story itself, I hated it.  I tried keeping the characters and changing things a bit so I could just jump into the first book of the series my husband would like me to write.  I started, stopped, tweaked, started again, rinse, repeat.  It just never worked. 

As much as I didn't like how the original story turned out, I still love the plot idea and feel it's a story that needs to be told.  I've already mapped everything out.  Other than most of the character names and the basic plot Nine Days is all brand new material (which is need as a NaNoWriMo project).  I like the new versions of the characters SO much more.  I love the new characters and relationships between them.

I've been wanting to rewrite Nine Days for a while.  November is my shot.  30 days of writing and no looking back. 

So today I leave the world of Lil, Alaia and Morgan behind.  And when I start writing on Thursday I'll submerse myself in Andy Qwinn and her runaway spring break trip to Hawaii to meet a couple of monk seals.

Hi Ho Hi Ho...

It's back to school I go!  School/Work, same thing when you're working at a school.  This will be a completely new experience for me.  I've been hired as a Special Education Tutor for a nearby small town's school district.  And with all my work experience, my degree in child development and specialized classes in early intervention/special ed, infants and toddler that district has decided the best place to put me is in High School.  I start on Thursday.

I've worked with high school age kids before, it's just a very big change going from toddlers and pre-k to high school.  But I'm excited - a bit nervous - but excited.

Laura-Glue is NOT happy about this.  Mama is supposed to stay home all day and let her inspire me to write or lay with her on the couch and read the stacks of books I keep bringing home from the library weekly.  The position is part time, but she'll still be home alone for about seven hours a day.  Hopefully, she and I can convince her daddy she needs doggie day camp a couple days a week.

Maybe buying her new hedgehog toys will all the extra money I'll be earning will help dry her tears. ;o)

The position is part time, which is good.  It'll give me time to write in the afternoons.  Nine Days will get finished!  

The Weekend to Bleed Dodger Blue!

Exciting things are going on for the Willaston family this weekend. 

Friday, July 13th is the 15th anniversary of Scott's first Dodger game - and also the 15th anniversary of the day we stopped being just best friends and roommates.

Saturday, July 14 we'll be taking the Monkey Boy to his first Dodger game and it'll be my first Dodger NIGHT GAME.  I've always wanted to go to a night game in LA so I'm already very excited.  Adding the Monkey Boy to the mix and I'm ecstatic!

Of course with a Dodger game means a trip to LA, which means we'll be visiting my mom.  She was the first person to buy a copy of Future Letters and wants me to sign it for her (which I will do willingly).

So, in honor of this exciting weekend the Kindle version of Future Letters is FREE!  It's currently part of the Kindle Owners Lending Library and as part of that program I can plan Free Promotion Days.  Here's a link to the Kindle version.

This is just through Amazon and only for the Kindle (sorry, the hard copy isn't free).

As for the hard copy, you can take $1.50 off the cost of the book when you purchase it through the CreateSpace or the Amazon sites.  The discount code is K8WS9WPW.

So, bleed Dodger Blue for the weekend and get free Kindle copies and discounted hard copies of Future Letters. ;-)

Happy Anniversary Scott!  

Graduation Congratulations Monkey Boy!

I love you both!! 

Books BEG to be read

I just got back from the library.  Dropped off two books (The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards and The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger), picked up two more (The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and Kingdom Keepers II - Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson).  Obviously, I'm fine in the finding something to read department.

But...

The printed copy of Future Letters were delivered yesterday.  I wrote this book.  I've read it a gazillion times - on the computer and printed on paper, know the story by heart, know what parts will make me laugh and which ones will make me cry.   But unlike say, Silver On The Tree by Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising Sequence are my go to books when I haven't decided what to read next, or I finished my book and the library's closed), I know every back story of Future Letters.  Where in my mind the characters and their histories came from, where each part of the story was brought to life and why.  During my last proof, I told my husband that that would be the last read, that I couldn't keep reliving the story anymore.

So, why do I have this urge to read Future Letters?  I hold the books in my hand and I have to stop myself from opening them, plopping down on the couch with Laura-Glue in my lap and reading them.

I have two other books to read.  Two books I've never read before.  I don't need to read the one that I wrote. 

But the books in that box are telling me that I do. 

So, I guess my "Currently Reading List" is:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Kingdom Keepers II - Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson

Future Letters by H.R. Willaston

First

The first ever printed copies of Future Letters arrived today.  

I'm so excited!   I should be bouncing around, screaming in glee.  

But instead my head is screaming, my stomach is queasing, ginger ale and peppermint oil are my new bffs. 

So, I'll take a page from Laura-Glue's book, and celebrate by quietly snuggling into a book.

What to work on next...

Future Letters is off and running.  It's on my CreateSpace page, and now on Amazon as both paperback and Kindle version.  It's been published, copies are being made and shipped as I type this.  There's nothing more to proof/edit/tweak on it (well, I should say I can't since it's out in the world now.).  I've been working on it for so long - it feels weird not to still be playing with it.

I need "a next".  I need something to work on.  I have three works in progress - one needs to simmer a bit more which automatically puts one of the others on hold (they aren't technically a series but they do tie together.)  So that leaves the first book I started on almost two years ago... if I go with something I've already been working on.

Or I can go with my newest idea.  There's a lot of note taking and outlining to do and I'm still trying to figure out some of the basic details.  They way I picture it written is very complex and in addition to each character having a voice, I need to find a way to sound like different authors.  I know that makes no sense right now.  Maybe that's why I'm not working on it yet.  The pieces haven't fallen into place enough.

So that takes me back to my two year old project.  So next week I return to Peapod.  Hopefully, someday that will mean something to everyone. ;o)

As for other things that need to be done...

I need to get a picture taken of myself - not camping and wearing a ball cap, not tear stained from crying at a graduation, not something taken three years ago.  Something on my own, and maybe some with the pup.  I've been asked if her picture is on the Future Letters cover.  Her picture is here.  It's on facebook and twitter.  Maybe something with me and her together wouldn't be a bad idea.  

My husband's idea - something with my hair all fluffy and a nice shirt.  I'm not sure what that means.  Unless it means no ponytail and something besides a tee-shirt. 

So focus on updating and restarting Peapod and trying to get a picture taken.  

Okay, I can do that.

Oh and stop checking CreateSpace to see how many books have sold and wonder who bought that fourth book. (I know who bought 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 were.)  ;o)

Three

As of this moment three copies of Future Letters has been sold.  All three bought by people I know (including my mom who bought the first copy.  Thanks Mom!).  All three want me to sign it.  I really like the number three.

I'm so excited that people I love are buying it.  I'm still having that "night before the first day of school" feeling that it won't make any friends and everyone will hate it.  I know not everyone is going to like it.  There are plenty of books that other people love and I really didn't (I even disliked a book so much that I used it as a prop in a high school drama class scene, just so I could through it across the stage) and there's lots of books that I've loved and other's hated.  Really, I'm okay if not everyone in the world loves my book.  Like I said, I know it's not going to be loved by everyone.  I just hope it's at least liked by some.

And I really hope no one hates it enough to throw it across a stage.

Future Letters!

About an hour ago I clicked the "Approved" button.   The little "Are you sure box" popped up and I clicked cancel. Looked over the proof one more time, took some screen shots of the cover, returned and clicked approve - Twice.

Future Letters is out in the world! 

It's not available on Amazon yet.  But it can be currently purchased at my CreateSpace estore here:https://www.createspace.com/3781625

I feel like I've just drank a 20 shots of espresso and a 12 pack of coke (and I don't drink either!).  I'm so excited, so nervous, so.... OMG!

Okay go over check list...

Danced around the house with Laura-Glue and freaked out the cats with me cries of glee?  Check.  Emailed mom?  Check. 

Texted husband, editor and Monkey Boy?  Check.

 Posted to Twitter?  Check. 

Facebook? Check. 

Blog?  Doing that now.

Off to walk Laura-Glue (and hopefully some of this energy out).

While I wait...

After doing some research on how authors promote themselves and their books through social media, I decided to try doing an Author's Blog.  A place where anyone who follows me on Twitter or likes me or the book on Facebook can come and get more information - about me, the book, other projects I'm working on, that sort of thing.  But how do you start an Author's Blog?

I guess like this - just start writing.

I just submitted Future Letters (again) for its "Final Review".  I think this is the third final review.  I like the number three.  Third time's the charm and all that, right?  So, what to do while I wait for that email saying the it's ready to go?
 

Once it's ready to go, I just click that little button and *POOF* Future Letters is in out in the world for anyone to read - not just the people I've asked to read.  I hope it gets read.  I hope it's liked.  I'm sure not everyone will like it, but I hope more people like it than don't.  It's like that first day of school feeling.  I hope it makes new friends.  I hope it doesn't get picked on or thrown into the trash every morning before class starts.  

Future Letters is the first book I'm publishing.  It's my first work of fiction that someone else has read.  They both said they loved it.  Of course one of those readers is my husband - I think he's supposed to say that.  This is not the first book I've written, but it's the first I've felt I should set free into the world.  I knew it would be a risk.  It's not written in a traditional manner.  All those advice articles about how dialog should be brief - yeah, the authors of those articles are going to hate Future Letters.  On the flip side of that I've been told that the idea of reading the private correspondences of the characters is "intriguing".  I know from my experience reading Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern, it took me a few pages to adjust to the epistolary flow of the story.  Once I did though, I couldn't put it down.  Which is exactly what my friend told me when she was reading Future Letters.  People I've talked to about this project bring up ideas like turning it into a movie, or the book doing so well I can just focus on writing and not worry about a day job.

My hopes for this book are simple.  I want it to be read.

This concludes my first post on my Author's Blog.