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After a long few days of reading the galley edits for Echoes of Us, I decided to indulge and read a short book.ÌýI just finished a lovely novella called Superhero by Eli Easton…First off, I am not a reviewer nor am I going to review the story, but just so you know, it made me squeal with delight. It also brought something I haven’t thought of in a long, long time to the forefront of my mind. I mean, I have no reason to think about the days that I was a wrestling cheerleader. Snort. I know, right. I wore a tight maroon sweater and short little skirt with knee socks and tennis shoes to match. And we cheered on the boys in those wonderful outfits called singlets that left nothing to the imagination. I think this may have been the place where the pervy side of my personality woke up. It was hard (insert joke) not to look. Er, discreetly, of course. Okay, there was probably giggling…a lot of giggling and snickering, but we were teenage girls. It happens.

We shouted cheers about pinning people to the mat and rolling them over for the win. Now, if I said something like that people would think I was talking nasty. HAHAHAHAHA� except my friends. They’d give me the eyeball and ask me to point of the cute guy I was scoping on. So thanks, Eli Easton, for reminding me of my time as a wrestling cheerleader. It was eye-opening! Oh, and go read the book…I told you, it made me giddy.

Xo TeeganÌý

It’s that time again…I must write another post…I guess it’s better than trying to move forward in a new story I’m working on. All I do is rewrite the beginning over and over and over and over. I also had to write a biography in the third person about me. I think I’ve lost my funny lately. Everything sounds dry and dreary. I think it’s because I’m trying to put together all this promotion junk for the release of my upcoming book Echoes of Us.ÌýClearly I need to contact my alma mater and tell them my degree in Advertising seems to be useless. I can’t even design a logo to brand me. And yes, I also have a degree in Graphic Design.Ìý

Let’s go inside my brain for a few minutes and I’ll let you be the judge. It’s so obvious I’ve gone off the deep end. Now I know why a lot of writers enjoy having an agent. Here’s what’s been happening. A lot of writer’s go on virtual tours (blog tours) before and during the release of a new book. Well, I’m the new kid who just showed up and doesn’t have a clue what to do. I’m probably wearing the wrong shoes. I’m not the sort who can walk up to a stranger and start up a conversation. I’m more the I’ll hide behind this giant potted plant until lightning strikes and I’m forced to move sort of person. That really doesn’t work if you’re trying to get the word out about your new book.Ìý

Another thing a lot of experienced authors talk about is give-aways. It’s a swell thing, but I don’t know how to do it. Lame, I know. And swag. That gets mentioned a lot, which goes back to the fact I haven’t designed a logo yet. So, beside giving copies of books away, I thought about other things…like since Echoes of Us is about music, I could send out a necklace with a charm to winners of some sort of contest..

Ìý

They’re kind of cute and easy to make. But people might think it’s weird and who wants a stupid necklace anyway. Would it really remind someone of my book or would people think I play the french horn or something. I do play the piano. I have bigger charms that could hold a teeny, tiny copy of the cover of the book, but that seems sort of pretentious. Who’s going to wear a charm with naked buy chests and my name. It really is a lovely cover and I’ll do a reveal when the final artwork is returned to me. For now, I guess you’ll have to take my word.Ìý

ÌýAre you getting a clear picture of how scrambled my brains have become. It’s so bad, I’m having a hard time writing new stuff or finishing old stuff, which I should totally do because my laptop is overflowing with unfinished shit. And NANO is coming soon. Plus Real Life tends to get in the way. I really should wash my floor today. It’s bordering on GROSS.Ìý

Soâ€�.if anyone has any suggestions, I would gladly be open to them and now I must end this post because I need to sift through 347 emails. And go buy milk and my car needs gas. Maybe I’ll rewrite the beginning of the yet-to-be-named story I’ve started or restarted or…fuck, I should just go back to bed.Ìý

xo TeeganÌý

So, I spent a few minutes this morning autographing pieces of vellum that will be inserted in the first 20 books of Echoes of Us, whichÌýwill be available for purchase through Dreamspinner. I obsessed over how to do the signature for days before I finally put pen to paper.Ìý

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Jeepers, that’s a gigantic photo of my signature. I need to learn how to manipulate photographs. I need to learn how to do a lot of things on this blog. Sigh.

But signing the papers made me feel giddy and freaked out and just a tiny bit proud of myself for sticking with my dream. I’ll let you know how I feel when I actually hold the book in my hands. I was published in an anthology so I’ve seen my name on the pages of a book, but this book will be all mine, from the title to all the words in between the covers. Jeesh, it makes me a little dizzy to think of shit like that. It still doesn’t seem real.Ìý

So, as stated before, the book is calledÌýEchoes of UsÌýand will be available sometime in November. Exact date is still pending, but I will let you know as soon as I know. Until then, I’m going to think about how it felt to sign my name as an autograph.Ìý

Teegan xoÌý

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Good Evening (in my corner of the world) I have writing news. I just completed the third round of Edits for Echoes of Us, which means we are heading the homestretch. The book will be released in November. More information will be released next week when I have sufficiently recovered from my weekend in Nashville. Anyway, I do have other news. Last week I signed a contract with Dreamspinner for another novel. The book will come out in April/May 2014.



Can you guess what it’s about? And no, that is not the cover. It’s a quick sketch I slapped on a piece of paper.

I know this is a short post, but I need to boost my word count for the day, pack my suitcase, and finish laundry. How exciting�

Xo Teegan

So, I’ve been reading a lot of stuff about people who review and people who write and I was watching Ratatouille the other evening when this happened. I’ve seen the movie more than once but never before was I so struck by these words. Maybe it’s because I have a new novel coming out in November. As a writer, reviews scare the shit out of me, and don’t get me wrong, I adore that people take the time to write something about my work� BUT my ego is as fragile as spun sugar. One wrong move and everything shatters. So, read this lovely little piece and take from it whatever you want

Xo, Teegan

I think that new leaf I tried to turn over crumbled and died. Things in my writing world have been in chaos the last few weeks and it’s been affecting my writing and everything else. Blah.Ìý\

So, with that said, it’s time to move forward, which in my world means I have to make a list. I must admit I’ve been putting it off for days because seeing the actual words on a piece of paper that’s ten feet long makes me nervous. Plus it means committing to clearing the list. Maybe tomorrow, after I write the list, I’ll go buy these Doc Martens I’ve been dying to own. .

Shoes always make me feel better & these could also be used to kick someone who really deserves a F8cking kick. Just so you know, I have a vague release date for Echoes of Us…November! Squeeee! I’ll reveal the cover as soon as I get the final artwork, but right now I’m going to get started on my To Do List.

Xo Teegan

It’s almost fall, so I guess it’s time to turn over a new leaf and fill people in on what’s happening in my writing world. Plus I really need to blog regularly. When I stay away too long, I can’t remember how WordPress works.

My big news is I have a new novel coming out with Dreamspinner Press. Very excited to work with them again. I haven’t been given an exact date, but the book will come out in November/December. I have completed the first round of edits and started work on choosing the cover art. They sent me three choices and I ooohed and aahed over them.Ìý

Here I am rambling along and I haven’t even disclosed the name of the book. Echoes of Us Ìýis a story about hitting it big in the music business. Rylan and Jade sign a deal with a huge music company but it comes with a price. They are told not to disclose their relationship to the public. Can their relationship survive the scrutiny of the public, fake girlfriends, and the pressure to conform? Or will the lure of fame and money corrupt their love and rip them apart?Ìý

So, I just wanted to get that information out there. Next blog entry I’ll talk about writing the story and I’ll leak a few things that inspired me as I wrote Rylan and Jade’s storyÌý

It’s good to be backÌý

Xo TeeganÌý

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Well, it’s that time again. I have a short story coming out in June. it’s included in the Make A Play Daily Dose Anthology over at Dreamspinner Press. I know the main cover of the anthology looks like it’s going to be a summer sports story, but I’m a rebel and wrote a winter sports story. And when most people think of winter sports, it’s hockey or skiing. So no, I didn’t write about either. I chose Curling. Yep, curling. Because it rocks. And it’s different. So different that a lot of people may not know much about the sport. I’m going to take this opportunity to educate the few people who look at this blog.

First, it’s played on ice that looks like a bowling alley. It’s called a sheet of ice, not an alley or lane. And it’s not smooth like hockey or figure skating ice. There are tiny water bumps on the surface. I’m not going to explain the reason, so just go with it. There are four players on the team. A lead, a second, a third and a skip. In general, the skip runs the show. Sometimes you have a vocal third who drives the skip crazy. There are ten ends in a game. Each person throws two rocks per end. The skip stands on one end of the ice and tells the other players where they want the rock. There is a lot of shouting at the two people who are sweeping. At the completion of each end, the rock closest to the center of the bullseye scores. The score board is confusing as fuck to explain. it looks like a normal scoreboard, but trust me, you don’t read it like a normal scoreboard.

Another strange thing about curling, is after you lose, you have drinks with the team who just beat the snot out of you. The winning team buys. So I guess no one really loses if there are free drinks involved.

There is special equipment needed for this game. Each player has a broom, weird shoes, and stretchy pants are advised because bending is involved. Some people wear jackets and gloves. Other people are half naked. I never understood wearing only a T-shirt. It’s played on ice, meaning it’s a little chilly out there.

This description of curling barely scratches the surface of the game, but it gives you a general idea of what’s involved with the sport. Ìý ÌýBut it’s enough to get you through the story The Magic Broom. Cody doesn’t have a clue either and he does just fine. Go check out the book at Dreamspinner. The Magic Broom will also be a stand-alone story.

Ìý

Xo Teegan

Sigh…I suck� I promised myself I would become more of a consistent blogger, but I’ve failed miserably. I think it’s because I’ve been trying to write in between checking my email for a word back from my publisher. Will they like the manuscript I sent them � or not…Checking one’s email 500 hundred times a day takes a lot of commitment and time.

I’ve also been working on a new story tentatively titled Picks & Pucks…It’s been driving me mad. (oh, and for those who don’t get the title, it’s figure skating and hockey) I can’t decide how I want to tell the story. The only thing that has been consistent is the Point of View is written in first person. Other than that…it’s a free for all. The big problem is whether I want to include flashbacks in the story. Maybe I should just throw it out there as a question.

Flashbacks or not?Ìý

Do readers like flashbacks or do you just want to hear backstory in general conversation or thoughts. Do you like the entire scene laid out or just bits and pieces?

Besides the flashback issue, I also had a character, who started as just background noise, make it known that he needed to be part of the main story. He wanted a larger role. His story needed to be heard. ÌýI tried to shut the little shit up, but he kept shouting until I finally tore up my loose outline and used it as confetti. I should have known better. I’m so not an outliner. It never works out and I end up feeling like I wasted valuable time sketching out something that will never happen. The only thing I stick to is writing the “almost endâ€� (please refer to an earlier blog entry to learn about writing the “almost end.â€�)

I’m getting sidetracked again. I still believe I need minions. They could keep me focused and give me goals and keep me from looking at Tumblr and checking my email and limit my time spent oogling guys. Um, maybe not�

Okay, so if you have any thoughts about the use of flashbacks in a story, let me know…If not, well, have a good day. I’ll be here fighting with this story and checking my email and oogling cute guys

Xo Teegan

Ìý

Holy Crow� I freely admit that I do not like to spend a lot of time following directions. Most of the time, they just confuse me. Well, in the world of publishing you must either have minions to do your bidding or read all the directions yourself. I personally recommend the minions.



However, since I do not have minions (yet) it is up to me to muddle through the world of publishing directions. Yes, I just submitted a story tonight. Yes, I probably fucked up the format and it will be rejected because I cannot follow directions.

I’ve spent the last two days editing the story. I don’t know about you, but when I write something and then have to go back and reread, fixing things and adding commas as I go…by the time the story is complete, I’m absolutely positive it’s the worst thing on the planet and that every single person who reads the first word will hate it. The whole “why bother� with it, comes into play. I then have to spend several hours convincing myself that it is okay to fail but in order for anything to happen, I have to let go of the piece and submit.

Then I’m hit with the directions. I stare at the long paragraph and groan because every single publisher and agent have different requirements for submissions. This is where the minions would be useful. Instead of spending two hours trying to figure out exactly how to set up the document for this particular person, the minions could do that for me and I could happily start working on a new piece for another submission…which I will hate and �.good grief, it’s a vicious cycle…But�.I’m a writer…It’s what I do

Xo Teegan