Crystal Seeker is up!

Hey guys,

I'm excited to announce that Crystal Seeker is finally available!

You can get it for the Kindle or the Nook.

Here's the cover again:

Click onto the cover for a bigger version!

And here's the description:

High school junior Tracy Bachman is looking forward to beginning her new life at Oliver Academy. A private, prestigious boarding school located on a beautiful, pristine island, it's everything she's ever dreamed of. If she could only stumble upon the right guy there, everything would be perfect.


Following a rocky start, Tracy settles in and comes to love the island. Everyone is fascinated by the new girl, and Tracy is quick to make friends and meet not just one, but two different guys.


However, it doesn't take long for her friends to help her discover a latent ability deep within herself... an ability that is unlike anything she's ever experienced.


And her ability is coveted. There are others who would take advantage of her, to make use of her powers for their own gain. Suddenly, Tracy starts to realize that underneath her perfect little getaway might lurk a threat. A danger. And as she gets deeper and deeper involved, finds herself lost in a world of love, lies, and supernatural magic.

Now, I'm really excited about this book for a few reasons.  One, it's much, much longer than any of my previous books.  Crystal Seeker comes in at a full 105,000 words, or 420 written pages.  Compare that to Shattered, which was only 40,000 words (which is 160 pages).  That means that I've put way more time and effort in developing the story, fleshing out the characters, and making the setting as real and imaginable as possible.

Next, it's been professionally proof-read and edited, which means that all the misspellings, missing words, and misplaced words the plagued my earlier books are gone.  Furthermore, the professionally proof-read copy was then sent to some great readers who volunteered to get the book in advance to check for any lingering mistakes.  So, as a collective sum of everybody's effort, Crystal Seeker should be nearly 100% mistake free.  That means no more of those jarring errors that make you realize you're reading a book instead of losing yourself in the world and story of the book.

Finally, I think my writing has improved quite a bit since Shattered was published.  All the early readers commented on that (thank you!) and I strove to make sure that all the complaints people had about the Dream Realms Trilogy were taken care of.  I hope I did that.  Of course, the fact that the book is so much longer and fuller means that there's a lot more going on, and a lot more for readers to sink their teeth into.  Which I think you're all going to love.

So, Crystal Seeker is the first book of a planned 5-book series.  All of the books in the series will be about the same length, and continue to be the same (if not better) quality.  I'm really excited about the story I have to tell in Crystal Seeker, and think you guys will like it even more than Dream Realms.

Again, you can buy the book on Amazon or buy it on Barnes & Noble.  I hope all of you check it out!

~Sophia

Thanks for the awesome response!

Hey guys,

When I asked for some extra proofreaders, I had no idea the response would be so overwhelming!  As of right now, over 100 different people have gotten in touch with me about getting an advanced copy of Crystal Seeker.  This is absolutely unbelievable -- thank you!

That's way more than I need (or expected!).  I'll try to get back to everyone, but if I don't, thank you for getting in touch!

So, I don't need any more proofreaders right now.  The book will be up in a few more days for everybody to enjoy!

New Book Title and Cover! (and readers wanted)

Hey all,

Finally ready to announce the name of my next book, along with the first look at the cover image!

The book is going to be called.... Crystal Seeker!  Here's the cover (as always, you can click it for a bigger view):

Let me know what you think!  And remember, it's coming out December 15th on all available platforms.

--

For the second part of my blog post, I wanted to invite a few readers to read an advanced copy of Crystal Seeker.  The book is 100% ready right now, meaning it's been proofread, edited, and polished as much as can be.  However, I'm striving to make sure there are absolutely no proofing errors in this book.  And for that, I need a few more pairs of eyes to read over the manuscript.  I don't *think* there should be any errors or typos or misspellings in the current version, but one or two might always sneak in.

So, I need about five people who'd want to read the current version of the book and let me know if they find any mistakes.  If you want in, just email me at sophiasharp90@gmail.com.   The book's about 100,000 words (about 400 printed pages), so I'd need some quick readers to get back to me as fast as possible.

Thanks!  And looking forward to all your thoughts about the book when it goes live :)

~Sophia

Release Dates!

Alright, I have some exciting news.  I just got my release date finalized!  These are the dates on which my upcoming books will be available on all platforms, whether it be Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or one of the others..

The new book that I wrote about in my last blog post will be out December 15th, 2011.  I finished it a few days ago, and now it just has to go in for proofreads and some final edits.  The name?  I haven't decided on that yet, but will finalize one within the next few days, and post it on here, along with the cover and an excerpt of the first chapter!

And since I finished the book, I've been hard at work writing the final Dream Realms entry.  It's coming along great, and the words are just flowing onto paper.  It'll be done in time for a December 25th release.  That's Christmas!

So to recap: new book from new series on December 15th, and Graced - Part 2 on December 25th.  Now, back to more writing ;)

~Sophia

The Unwieldy Monster That Is My Next Book

To everybody reading my blog: I've been away for a long time from here, but not because I've forgotten about all of you!  The reason I haven't posted much on here is because, for the past two and a half months, I've been hard at work on a brand new book.

I've never worked this hard on a single book in my life.  Each day, without fail, I spent at least 4 hours writing.  This has been on top of going to school full time, keeping up with classes, having a social life, and all the other things I need to do in college.  But I really wanted this book to be the very best I've ever written.  I've read all the criticisms, complaints, and suggestions I received from all of you to do with Shattered, Destined, and Graced.  Those three books were the first ones I've ever released to the public, and all your comments meant so much to me.  Some were pretty harsh, while others were very uplifting, but all were extremely helpful in guiding me to a better understanding of my writing, and myself.

The reason I'm finally writing this post is because the book is nearly done.  I have to finish off the final two chapters, do a complete proofread, and then get it all touched up.  This time, the entire manuscript will be professionally proofread, so that there won't be a single mistake in the entire book (I know some of you were complaining about typos and such in the other books, and wanted to make sure it wouldn't be like that this time).  There's also more depth to the characters, a richer, more fleshed-out world, and (of course) a very touching, hopefully heart-melting, romance.

The book is also more than two times longer than Shattered.  Shattered was about 40,000 words, and a lot of you complained that it was too short, and that you wished I spent more time world-building.  My new book (which I have a title for already, but will keep it secret for now..) is just over 90,000 words.  Not too much to be intimidating, but not so little that you'll breeze by it in a flash.  Actually, it's about the same length as Twilight, or Lauren Kate's Fallen.

So keep watch for more news from me in the coming weeks.  I wanted to thank all my readers for reading my books, and to all those who emailed me asking where I was... I'm back!


Love,
Sophia

PS: I haven't forgotten about the final Dream Realms book, either!  Although most of my time and energy has gone into this new book, I've gotten notes and outlines and parts of chapters done for the last Dream Realms installment, too.  As of right now, it's maybe 40% complete, and as soon as this new book is released, I'll switch over to finishing up Dream Realms before Christmas.  Another huge thanks to my fans for sticking with me through this :)

Graced is up! (...finally)

First of all, I want to send out my most heart-felt apologies for everything that's gone wrong in the past month.  It's been a crazy, hectic, and stressful time for me, but that's no excuse for the delay.  I promised all of you a certain release date for the third book, and, unfortunately, was not able to come close to fulfilling that promise.  I'm determined to make it up to all my fans (..somehow), and I want to be known as the author who listens to her fanbase and is held accountable by them.  I haven't thought of what I can do yet, but it will come.  If any of you have any suggestions, please email me (sophiasharp90@gmail.com), or post a comment below.  I do read everything that I get.

Anyway, with that all out of the way, I'm finally able to announce the synchronized release of Graced, the first part of the third book of the Dream Realms Trilogy.  I know some of you have already found it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in the past week (yes, it's been up that long), but now is the first time everything is settled and ready for me to announce.  It's a full, complete book (the same length as Destined).  However, it is not the final book.  Let me explain..

When I started writing the series, I had no idea that people would like it so much.   And of course, while I'm obviously not oblivious to the faults in the books (and the fact that some people don't like them at all), I still think it's amazing how quickly everything's happened.  I've read all the feedback (from reviews, comments, blog posts, etc.) that I've gotten on each and every book, and tried to improve on the faults and problem areas for the next release.

But the thing is, people did like the first book!  And I was blown away.  Suddenly, there was demand for more books in the series, and what originally was meant to be a fairly short trilogy had blossomed into so much more.  I heard that people wanted to learn the back stories of the characters, and I tried to provide that.  I heard that people wanted books that were longer (compared to Shattered), and I did that.  I heard that people wanted more details, a richer history, and a bigger world... and I tried to do that.

But in doing so, the scope of the series increased.  And while it's still a trilogy, per se, the last book had to be split up into two parts.  Otherwise, I just wouldn't be able to fit everything in!  And as the characters developed and grew, so did the story -- so much so that I couldn't possibly close all the plot lines from Destined in one final book.  As a result, there are two final books: Graced, which is the first part, and a yet-untitled new book, which will be the last part.

So, with all of that explained, here's the release information for Graced:

~

Cover:

Click for a bigger view!

Description:
There is a prophecy that speaks of a time of great turmoil, a time when the rule of power will be overturned by the hammer of fate. That time has come, and one girl stands in the middle of it all...


Laura has been reunited with Logan, and together they must face the elders. But this time, they have the angels on their side. It is a precious advantage, but only if used properly...


She has learned of the prophecy of her fate, and learned of her destiny. But while others are certain, she is less sure. And as she moves forward, she learns that absolutely nothing can ever be guaranteed.


Graced is the first part of the final book in the Dream Realms Trilogy, and the sequel to both Shattered and Destined. It is approximately the same length as Destined.

Links:

Graced for Nook (Barnes and Noble): here

Graced for Kindle (Amazon): here


~

I hope all of you like it!  Let me know what you think in the comments, or, better yet, write a review on either Amazon or B&N!  And seriously, if anyone has any ideas of what I could do to make things up to you as fans, please, let me know.

Lots of love,
~Sophia

PS: I've already started working on a new series, and I hope you guys will be as excited as I am when it comes out.  I'm aiming for a release of the first book some time in October, after which I'll work on finishing the last book in the Dream Realms Trilogy.  It should also be out in October (near the end), although with school and classes up and running, it's getting harder and harder to find time to write.  But I love doing it, and will keep at it every single day,

Moving (aka, "where the hell is the third book?!")

All my loyal readers,

I know so many of you are out searching for the third book.  And I know I promised it would have been out yesterday.

But it's not yet.

I know this probably makes a lot of you upset, or angry, or frustrated even.  When an author says something about their work they should be able to keep their word.

And that's really what I've been trying to do.  But somebody threw a big ol' wrench into all my plans earlier this week.

You see, I'm still a student.  And as so, I was spending my summer in Seattle, where I grew up, in my parent's house.  I saw all my friends, got a lot of great reading in, and, best of all, got to work on my books.

But summer always comes to an end, and with the start of a new school year comes the inevitable move.

I got to school in Boston, so the move is probably one of the longest any student can have.  And that means going all the way across the country on a 6-hour flight, plus dealing with jetlag, plus trying to stuff enough things in all my baggage, plus trying to get to my dorm without leaving anything behind, plus meeting all the new people, plus coordinating on almost EVERYTHING in my life.

To say that it's a tumultuous time is an understatement.

But why am I telling you guys this?  Only because, two days before Graced (the 3rd book in the Dream Realms Trilogy) is supposed to come out, I find out that I need to go to Boston a full week earlier than I expected.

I had planned on publishing Graced from home in Seattle, and then flying to Boston at the end of the month, on the 30th or so.

Nuh-uh.

Turns out, because of some weird scheduling thing at my school, move-in got moved up by a week.  So I discovered I had to be in Boston on the 23rd.

Talk about a buzz-kill.

So the last two days before the release of Graced, instead of spending time on the final proofread and touch-up, I had to frantically pack my things in preparation for the flight.  But the good news is that I'm finally here.  I'm in Boston.  Spent all of yesterday flying, and am writing this message from my tiny little dorm room.

But the bad news is that nothing is unpacked yet.  And, even worse, my roommates left the doors unlocked before they left for the summer, so we all came back to find our fridge stolen.  


So right now I'm dealing with unpacking, coordinating myself on here, and all that college stuff that comes with move-in.  It's completely crazy and entirely overwhelming.

I just need two days to finish up Graced.  I thought those two days would be the 21st and 22nd, but packing and stuff took over.  As it is right now, things look completely jumbled together until at least the weekend.  And it's only then that I think I'll have enough time to touch up the third book.

(so this is a really long, apologetic blog post explaining why the book is going to be delayed)

I know you guys want the book -- I've gotten countless emails and messages on Goodreads already.  And I'm so incredibly, amazingly happy that so many of you like the series enough to write to me to ask me where the third book is.  And I fell so bad about letting you guys down.

I wish I could make it up to all of you, somehow.  If anybody has any ideas, post in the comments.

Anyway, I gotta get back to organizing myself here.  The faster I do that, the faster the third book can go up.

Lots of love,
~Sophia

Destined (Dream Realms Trilogy, book 2) out on Barnes and Noble

To all my fans who own a nook: I apologize immensely for the wait! I don't know quite what happened to hold up Destined at B&N for so long, but I saw that it was finally up today!

Here's the link to the Barnes and Noble page selling Destined.

I hope all of you enjoy it! And, because the wait between the first and second book was entirely too long, I've committed to releasing the third book in the series on August 23rd, 2011. That's less than a few weeks away, and I hope is short enough to keep you all excited and interested in the series!

PS: As a personal request.. I'm building up the "Dream Realms" page on my blog, and want to include a FAQ-type section about the series. If any of you guys have any questions you'd like me to answer, either there or anywhere else, please send me an email to "sophiasharp90@gmail.com", or make a comment below this post. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Destined is up!

Well, this is exciting (again).  The second book is finally is up!  Here's the description:

Description:

Laura has survived the dark caves, and emerged with Logan by her side. But her escape is quickly tainted as she realizes the biggest danger still lies ahead...

She has been transformed, and powers she has never known begin to manifest themselves within her body. As she struggles to gain control, how long will she be able to restrain herself - and her new bloodlust - from taking over?

As she journeys onward, doubts begin to creep into her mind. Doubts about leaving home, about the decisions she's made. But with the Vassiz still behind her, there is no turning back, now.

And she has questions that need to be answered. Just who are the elders, and why have they taken such a keen interest in her? As she starts the unravel the cloak that shrouds their existence, she begins to understand that she may have stumbled into something much larger than herself... and starts to understand her destiny for the first time.

Destined is the second book of the Dream Realms Trilogy, and the direct sequel to Shattered. It is approximately 1.7 times longer than the first book.

And the beautiful cover image (you can click it for a bigger view!):

Destined is up for sale on Amazon (Barnes & Noble is still having problems, but should be up soon).  You can read on a Kindle for now.  Or, if you don't have one, you can get the free Kindle for PC app on your computer to check out the book.

Hope you guys enjoy the second book - I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

~Sophia

Destined is coming...

I hate making you guys wait like this.

As I promised, the second book in the Dream Realms Trilogy, Destined, was uploaded to Amazon and Barnes & Noble yesterday.  But for some reason, the time it's taken for the retailers to get it online has been a lot longer than it usually is.  So I still can't give you links to the book page.

But it's coming..!!  Later tonight (I'm hoping!), Destined will be up on both sites.

For now, here's a sneak peak at the description:

Laura has survived the dark caves, and emerged with Logan by her side.  But her escape is quickly tainted as she realizes the biggest danger still lies ahead... 

She has been transformed, and powers she has never known begin to manifest themselves within her body.  As she struggles to gain control, how long will she be able to restrain herself - and her new bloodlust - from taking over? 

As she journeys onward, doubts begin to creep into her mind.  Doubts about leaving home, about the decisions she's made.  But with the Vassiz still behind her, there is no turning back, now. 

And she has questions that need to be answered.  Just who are the elders, and why have they taken such a keen interest in her?  As she starts the unravel the cloak that shrouds their existence, she begins to understand that she may have stumbled into something much larger than herself... and sees her destiny for the first time.  

Destined is Book 2 of the Dream Realms Trilogy, and the sequel to Shattered.  It is approximately 1.7 times longer than the first book.

Destined (the sequel to Shattered) Cover!

So today I'm finally allowed to put up the cover for the second book in the Dream Realms Trilogy.

The book is called Destined, and will be available tomorrow (August 3rd, 2011) on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  I'm really excited about this book, and I'll do a full post announcing its release sometime tomorrow.. but I wanted to give you guys a little sneak peak!

Here's the beautiful cover:

(you can click it to get a bigger view)

Look for more information about it and links to get it tomorrow!

Lots of love,
Sophia

Update: The sequel is DONE and ready to be released!

Hey guys!  So, I haven't been updating my blog as much as I would have liked in the past few weeks because I've been really busy writing the sequel to Shattered.  While I did finish writing it about two weeks ago, it took time for proofreading and editing and for my publisher to come back to me with their thoughts.  But today I'm ready to announce that the final version of the second book in the Dream Realms Trilogy is completely finished!

That means all the edits are done, everything's been proofread, and the formatting is good to go.  It's nearly 2 times the length of Shattered, so those who told me Shattered went by a bit quickly will be happy to know the sequel is much longer.

My publisher wanted to release it a week from today, whereas I wanted to (obviously) get it to you guys as soon as possible!  I fought hard to get an earlier release, but they were adamant about needing the week to get the title and cover sorted out.  But, as a compromise, they did say I'll be allowed to post snippets of the book on my blog in the days leading up to the release!

I thought that was a great idea.  So, today, I wanted to post a passage from the start of the book.  Laura and Logan have just gotten out of the caves, and are continuing on their journey north.  Laura's been struggling with the need to feed, as well as figuring out all the new abilities and gifts her transformation has granted her.  As Logan and Laura take a break for the night, they are surprised by an encounter with somebody who they do not yet know, but will be very important in the second book...

They had just set up camp for the night, in a clearing around some trees.  Logan had started a fire, and sat with an arm wrapped around Laura while she leaned comfortably into him. 

They were just sitting, enjoying the silence and the crackling of the fire, when Laura’s ears caught noise from behind them.  In an instant she had twisted around, and Logan was looking back, too. 

Out of the edge of the clearing, Laura suddenly saw two shapes emerging.  But they weren’t clear even to her improved vision.  A man and a woman, she thought, and tall.  Laura had no idea how she hadn’t heard them approaching earlier. 

“Who are you?” Logan demanded, and Laura felt his body tense. 

“We come in peace, friend,” a smooth, confident voice answered him.  The couple moved closer, until they stood just at the edge of the fire’s reaches.  It took time for Laura’s eyes to adjust, but when they did, she could see the two people clearly. 

Both of them were beautiful.  They looked to be somewhere in their early thirties, although their faces had an agelessness to them that was hard to place.  The man had stunning blonde hair that sat atop a perfectly chiseled face.  Hard cheekbones and a strong chin gave him a very masculine look, while delicate eyes complimented it with a dash of femininity. 

And if the man were stunning to her, Laura could only imagine the woman’s effect on most men.  She had blonde hair streaming down to her hips, and her eyes glistened with magnificence.  She had a small nose that was perfectly centered on her face, and delicate rose-red lips.  And she wore a beautiful white dress, which was completely unmarred.  The hemlines were touched by threads of gold, and the bodice bore elegant designs. 

“We bring a gift,” the man said, and lobbed something towards them.  Logan snatched it out of the air.  Laura looked.  It was a dark piece of cloth, and as Logan unfolded it, she realized it was an elegant black shirt.  Perfectly Logan’s size.  “We thought you might like to have a new piece of clothing,” the man continued, “seeing as how you haven’t worn anything for days.”

“How did you know?” Logan asked, the projection of ease only slightly spoiled by a threatening undercurrent.

“We’ve been tracking you for five days,” the woman answered.  Laura’s breath was taken away by her voice.  It rang like bells, and the only justified description Laura could give it was… angelic.

The couple took another step forward, and Laura saw that their flawlessness was only magnified from closer up.  They both had milky white skin, and it was completely perfect.  And, she realized with a start, they had no smell she could pick up.  They were vampires.  The Vassiz?  Had they been found?

“How did you find us?” Laura demanded.  If her voice was a little unsteady, so be it.  If these two had gotten so close and avoided notice, what was to stop a whole army of the Vassiz encircling her and Logan right now?

“You have nothing to fear from us, dear girl,” the man said, spreading his hands.  “As to how we found you… we were told of your coming.  By an old friend.  I believe you’ve met.  Were it not for him, I do not think we would be speaking now.”

     

“Not… Rafael?” Laura asked.

The man nodded.  “Indeed.  He told us of your coming weeks ago.  But… we did not expect to find you alone.  Is he not with you?”

Laura looked at Logan.  Did they not know?  His face gave nothing away, but she could feel that he had relaxed noticeably on the mention of Rafael.

“You look troubled, child,” the woman said in that ringing voice.  “Speak.  What is the matter?”

Laura looked again at Logan, and he nodded. 

And that's it!  Hope you enjoyed the little sneak peek, and look for more in the days before the release of the sequel!


~Sophia  

Quick update!

First of all.. thank you!

The response from all you guys to Shattered has been amazing.  I've gotten countless emails already saying how excited people are for the next book.  It's only been a few short weeks, but I've been blown away by people's response.

So, what have I been doing the past little while?  Writing the sequel!  It's nearly halfway done already, and I think the story is going to be even better than that of the first book.  And I hope everyone likes it just as much.

Shattered is up!

Well, this is exciting.  The first book of my trilogy is up!  Here's the description:

Description:

Laura Cubus was perfectly content with her life. A junior in high school, she felt perfectly normal. She had good friends, a great family, and did well in school. Nothing particularly exciting ever happened where she lived, and everything was stable.

But that all drastically changes when a new student arrives at Laura's school. Wild rumours swirl about his past, and Laura becomes determined to find out the truth.

As she gets to know the mysterious student, he shares with her an ancient secret... one that may yet put both of them in grave danger.

And for the first time in her life, Laura is exposed to a completely unfamiliar world. She is swept away on an exhilarating journey that takes to a place where great destiny may yet await... and where supernatural powers run rampant.

Shattered is the first book of the Dream Realms Trilogy

And the beautiful cover image (you can click it for a bigger view!):

Shattered is up for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  You can read on a Kindle or Nook.  Or, if you don't have either, you can get the free Kindle for PC app or Nook for PC app on your computer to check out the book.

Hope you guys enjoy the book - I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

PS: if you're on Goodreads, message me!  I've got an account set up on there too

Accessibility part ii

So, fresh off the heels of a Boston Bruins victory, I thought I'd do a follow up post to my last one.  You know, because I'm in such a great mood and all due to the win (I really am!)

Since this is a blog about me, I thought I'd also mention that today I went out to watch the game at a campus bar with friends.  Had my little fake ID to get in and everything.  I was one of two girls in a group of fourteen, but I had my bruins jersey on and it was a great time.  We even put on some black and yellow face paint!  I'll get some pictures up later and post them on this blog.

But what I wanted to say on the topic of accessibility is that I want to be the most accessible writer out there.  When (if?) I get published (I really think "when" is the right term, because I intend to work hard for it, as I have been already...), I want to be able to be the easiest author to get in touch with, and the easiest one to interact with.  I want to hear from all my fans, and see why they liked my books, but more importantly, I want to know about them.  And I want to be able to give guidance to all the other young aspiring writers out there, to help nudge them in the right direction.  All as a way of saying "thanks" for enjoying my books, or giving back to the authors who want to get published. If I can do all that, I'll be very, very happy.

Accessibility and NEW BOOK TITLE!

The Bruins just lost, and are down 0-2 in their series.  Yes, I follow hockey, and yes, that sucks.  I was sad when it happened.

But that's not the point of this blog post.  What I wanted to say was that yesterday I spent a lot of the day looking up some of my favorite authors online.

Some have blogs, others have official looking webpages.  Most have done interviews somewhere in some form.

And what I realized was that all these authors got there doing the same things I'm doing.  They wrote their books, found agents, got publishers interested, found a readership, got fans, and eventually their books took off.  But what was inspiring about seeing them there was this thought: they got there doing exactly what I'm doing.

I also realized that they all did it using the same tools I'm using.  A keyboard and a computer screen.  Although maybe some wrote out their first manuscript by hand, even, but that's not the point.  The point is that they had a story to tell, believed in it, and wrote it.  That's the first step, and it's key.  You can't become an author without a written story, can you?

Speaking of story, I'm becoming really confident in this book I'm writing.  Like, really confident.  I'm up to 86,000 words now, which is already 344 printed pages.  So I'm getting close to the end.  I'm going to have to do some edits, of course, and will probably cut whole sections out to trim it... but, I went back today to reread some of the early chapters that I wrote a few months ago.  I had to prepare myself mentally before doing it, because I was expecting it to be cringe-worthy.  Reading your first draft always is.

But instead, I was surprised to find that it all just... flowed.  And it flowed really well.  The writing was good. Like, I was astonished at how it turned out.  So, my confidence is at an all-time high for getting this baby published.

And I thought of the title today.  I'm going to call it Shattered.

Time

Time is a funny thing.

When you're young (like, really young), it can't pass quickly enough.  You're looking forward to summer, or to the day you get your driver's licence, or your first kiss, or a million other things.  And as you wait, time just drags on and on.

But when you get older, you realize how quickly it passes.  Right now, I'm at that phase.  This isn't a post lamenting the passage of time, though.  It's actually more like a call to action for me, after a realization of how quickly days can go by.

Every passing day gives me an urgency to write quicker.  Maybe "quicker" isn't the right word, though.  An urgency to write more prolifically.  To have more time to write. I always want to take time when I write, to make sure every sentence in my book is smooth and flowing and beautiful.  But I have to balance that against the need to actually finalize what I'm writing.  To further the plot in my book, to get that much closer to the end.

Right now, I don't have the luxury to spend days crafting the perfect paragraph.  If I want to get published, to become a writer, I need to finish my book.  That's obvious.  And I'm working towards that goal every spare minute I get, but sometimes it still doesn't seem like enough.  Every day I spend inching towards the end but not reaching it is another day where I'm not sending out copies of the manuscript to agents and publishers.  It's another day where I'm not connecting with my readers, getting their comments and suggestions, and learning what they liked about my work.

So I spend every free minute I can thinking about my book and writing it.  I'm up around 80,000 words already, but haven't even come close to finishing the book.  There's a sense of loss, because I know I'm going to have to delete a lot of those words in the end, to shorten the book.  And I spent time on all those words -- every single one of them meant something to me.  

I also want to reach out and talk to other aspiring writers.  But I don't know where they go.  Is there a forum online somewhere, hidden away from reach, where all the girls who want to become authors go?  Or a membership site deep in the trenches of the internet?  I don't know.  But moreover, every time I start thinking about searching for something like that, I realize that the time can also be spent writing.  Which is what I need to be doing, at least until I finish this manuscript.

So, back to time.  Time is on my side right now, I think.  I'm young, and have already written a lot in my life.  So I have some experience.  But none of it was ever published; none of it was ever written to be published.  So this whole endeavor is something new.  And if it takes years for me to get published, well, so be it.  But at the same time, I feel pressed by urgency.  

Yet writing isn't something I can rush.  I wish I had the time to spend days crafting the perfect paragraph.   That may come someday, in the future, once I've been published... but it's not that day now.  I just have to do my best with what's given to me, and hope it all works out in the end.  But I need to get some finality soon, some kind of response from readers telling me that they love (or hate!) my book, or a yes/no from an agent who's willing to sell my book.  The not knowing is killing me.

I feel like I'm swimming in an empty sea right now, with no sense of direction.  I can only hope I'm headed towards the shore. 

3,000 words

Today was a great day.  I spent a lot of it writing, and put together 3,000 nicely polished words for my soon-to-be-finished book.

These particular 3,000 words get a special mention on my blog because they mark the start of a long, secretive, and forbidden romance between two of my characters.  The entire book up to this point has been building up to it, so this part's really important.  For the progression of the story, and for the start of the relationship.  In fact, I think that these will turn out to be the most important 3,000 words in my book.  I hope people love them. 

I'm actually really excited by how it turned out.  I don't want to give anything away, so I can't say much at this point.  But I will say this: I listened to Take That's Rule the World over and over as I wrote the scene.  I think it's one of the most magical songs ever performed.  I want it to play at my wedding.  That's how powerful it is.

Second post: how I get into a writing zone

Here's the second post, coming not long after the first.  Maybe I'm just excited to have a pretty blog up that I can't stop thinking about it, right now.  I should probably be writing my book now, but writing something is better than nothing, right?

Anyway, for the past hour or so I've been in a really good writing zone, and I wanted to jot down my thoughts on how I got there.  The zone is actually somewhat elusive, I think, and while I wouldn't say I ever suffer from anything like "writer's block" (a made up phenomenon IMHO), I do suffer from "writer's procrastination" -- that is, coming onto my computer with the intention of writing, but getting sidetracked by the internet.

But it's more than just getting sidetracked.  Just like when you're reading a good book, and you really start to get into it, the hours can just fly by.  Your mind is swept away by images painted by your imagination of what you're reading, and you feel like you're actually there with the characters.  You feel like you're breathing, seeing, tasting, and experiencing everything with them side by side.  And it's moments like that when you don't want any interruptions.  In fact, if you're anything like me, you zone out of everything going on around you and your focus is entirely on the the book.

A writing zone is similar, in some ways.  I've noticed that my best and most productive writing comes when I enter a similar focused zone.  I picture the characters in my head, see them talking, see them interacting with one another, and see the world around them.  Except that it's different from when I'm reading, because there's so much going on in my head that I just can't get it all down quickly enough.  The writing zone comes in moments like that -- moments when my imagination is out-pacing my ability to get it all down.  But I'm focused only on the writing, and everything else becomes entirely peripheral.

The writing that occurs in this zone, though, is admittedly very rough.  I don't use punctuations, and sentences can drag on and on while I'm trying to just get everything on paper (or rather, on my computer screen).   Sometimes I write parts of dialogue over and over again just to pick out my favorite version later.  But as long as I'm focused, I just keep writing

Once it's done, and I have everything I wanted typed out, I can then go back and read it over.  Some parts make me cringe, while others pleasantly surprise me.  And during the re-read, I add in punctuation, fix spelling errors, etc -- basically, everything I can do when I'm not in a zone.

That's how my writing works.  Or rather, a part of my writing.  Sometimes I just sit down and force myself to write, but that's for another blog post.  The main thing to know, I think, is just how much I enjoy the process of writing fiction.  I love it more than anything, and wouldn't give it up for the world.

First post

My first post!  What a way to start: a rainy Sunday afternoon in Boston.  Auspicious much?

Hopefully, fortune turns as I get further along in this.  What do I mean by "in this," exactly?  Two things, really: this blog, and my writing.

Start with the first -- this blog.  What is it?  It's my outlet for my life; for sharing stories, for my writing, and anything and everything else that comes to mind.  A way to keep track of my goals and note my achievements. I've had some of my friends pick up blogging back in 2004, when we were only 13, and then have their blogs sputter out.  I really hope mine doesn't turn out that way.  I want this blog to be an extension of my personal diary -- no, a substitute for my diary.  Everyone's sharing everything anyway nowadays, so why not me? Maybe a bit selfish, sure.  But what's blogging otherwise?

Moving on to the second thing: my writing.  I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember.  Actually, that's a bit of a lie.  I've been writing since the third grade, when a wonderful teacher asked everyone in class to write a fairy tale, and ended up picking mine as his favorite.  He didn't tell the other kids, of course -- but confided it in my parents.  He said I have a natural knack for writing (his exact words! and I remember them to this day), and should never stop.  So, I've kept going..

I've mostly been keeping it to myself, though.  I've never really thought about becoming an "author," or a "writer" (quotations because those goals are still so far away!), so never had the need to share with anyone or publicize my stories.  But, I'm just finishing up my second year in college, and have really started to think about careers and life goals and such other mysterious things.  And while my friends were all busy trying to get internships for the summer this year, I just kept to myself with my writing hobby.  I don't have an interest in going out and working professionally in the "real world" -- I want to keep writing forever, and I want to have time to do it.  The only way I see myself having that time, though, is by becoming a published author.

So there you have it.  That's the abbreviated history of one Sophia Sharp.  I've been working on a young adult paranormal/fantasy novel for the past few months, and think that's the one I'm going to try to get out there.  Why young adult?  Because it's what I love to read.  And why paranormal/fantasy?  Because that genre gives the greatest opportunities for creating a magical, romantic, quixotic world that I can fall in love with.

PS: and no, it's not exactly a clone of TWILIGHT, I can promise you that.  Although fans will like it, I think...