Turn It Off Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I know I've been away for a while but I haven't stopped my author duties. I've been editing and rewriting my books all summer long. Turn It Off went through it's first round of editing, A Tragic Heart has been re-edited and even rewritten (no major changes just details to make it more complete with more explanation), and What Could've Been is almost through with it's first round as well.

I sent off Turn It Off to my publishing company, Line by Lion and I plan to have it released by the end of fall. The cover is already done and now I'm waiting for it to be edited professionally along with all the other steps it take to release a book.

Well, remember when I said I wanted to head on a blog tour and have a giveaway for the teaser to Turn It Off? I still want those things and in fact, one of them is actually about to happen within the next few hours. I've set up a giveaway for Turn It Off via Amazon and every lucky 13th entrant will receive a free copy of the teaser to the novel coming out this fall! I will post the link when it goes live and keep you all updated. Please remember to leave a review on Amazon if you are a winner. Here's the link to the teaser and the official cover is available below for your viewing: http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Off-Intro-Chapter-Tragic/dp/1508591970/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Turn It Off Cover Reveal!

I'm so excited for this book because it's my favorite from the series and I can now say the same for the book cover! I feel like not only is it appealing to the eye but its symbolism is perfect. Honestly, the cover couldn't be any better for the book. 

Take a look at the official cover for Turn It Off along with the back cover description.  Remember the intro & first chapter teaser is available on Amazon and I will be conducting a giveaway next month as we  near closer to the book's release this fall. Hope you all love it and please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts. 

Turn It Off: Intro & First Chapter: http://amzn.to/1gVGiCg

Drop The Ego: Theme From RED

"My ego is nervous. Anxious. Guilty. My ego is red."-Peyton Hayley Giordano (RED)

So the last time I focused on the theme of mistakes and how we all have our favorite ones to make. I ended it by stating we can learn from those mistakes and start over if we learn to drop our egos. I'm sticking to that statement!

The concept of the ego, superego, and id is a major focus within the novel, RED. In fact, I based the entire book on Sigmund Freud's theory of the id, ego, and superego (so look out for all the symbolism!). It's always been something that fascinated me because I've always believed we all have some good, bad, and a little better in us. My characters are no different.

During specific parts of the novel you'll witness my main characters following the devil on their shoulder, listening to the angel, and sometimes just following exactly who they are. It's troubling and will make you want to pull your hair out if you get too into it. But isn't that life? 

The ego can be a good thing or it can be the worst thing for us. As Freud believes, our ego is who we are and we can't necessarily change that all the time; we can just give into our superego (the better version of us) or the id (that very naughty part) from time to time. During the novel, the main character Peyton is trying to find herself while constantly trying to be a better person (although it fails majority of the time). The process is long and even feels a lot like suffering but she's on a journey to learn how to be better.

I believe a lot of us are on that same journey. One thing we don't understand is that sometimes we have to drop who we are (our egos) in order to be better. Sometimes we have to follow who we think we are or want to be (our superego) in order to see a difference. It's hard but it's reality. This is something Peyton is going to struggle with for much of the novel.

We make countless mistakes and try to fix them but ti always falls through. it's because we didn't learn how to drop the ego. There are times you have to ask yourself, "what would I do?" and then do the opposite. We're not always right and we're not as great as we think we are sometimes. We all strive to be that superego, or in fact, many of us believe we already are our superegos which is why we fail to change or acknowledge that we're wrong. 

I'm not saying who you are isn't good enough, I'm just saying we all need to recognize when who we are isn't good enough so we can follow or try something different. No one is perfect one hundred percent of the time. We often need help and different perspectives to make things right. We can't do that if we only follow our ego. 

Whether your ego is big or small, you just have to remember that sometimes you have to alter the usual things you would do in order to make it. Trust me, I know it's hard. How do you make a decision that's not like you? It's the only thing you know how to do! You've been you your whole life! Well, it's not an impossible task. There are times we have to tell ourselves, "okay, it's time to drop the ego and suck it up!" if we want to see a change. There's no getting better without making mistakes and dropping the ego. How else do you expect to forgive yourself and others around you? Hmmmm, forgiveness...that sounds like another major theme in RED.

While there are times to drop the ego, there are also times when we should serve the ego as well. Just listen to Jewel in the video below...

Character Profile for RED: Ronan Connolly

It's October so that means it's time for another character profile for a character from my upcoming novel, RED. This character is completely new and he even gets his own POV from time to time. He's someone that I'm sure a lot of girls will like not only because of his good looks and Irish accent but because of the amount of compassion he has. He's an all around great guy! Allow me to introduce you all to.......

Ronan Connolly

Full Name: Ronan James Connolly

Birth Date: February 26, 2010

Gender: Male

Age During RED: 16-19 years old

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Dirty Blonde

Height: 6'0

Weight: 185 lbs

Relatives: Jane Connolly (Mother) & Paul Connolly (Father)

Relationship Status: Completely in love and devoted to Peyton Hayley Giordano (in other words, TAKEN)

Interests/Hobbies: Photography & Art

Positive Character Traits: Ronan is an extremely compassionate and forgiving person. He doesn't hold grudges and he's probably one of the sweetest guys you'll ever come to meet. He has a great swagger about him and seems a little tough on the outside but he's completely soft and loving on the inside. He's a fantastic boyfriend/partner and believes in honesty. Basically, his parents did a great job raising him. Not to mention, he was born and raised in Ireland giving him a hot Irish accent to go with all of these things. 

Negative Character Traits: When it comes to his girlfriend he can be a bit of a pushover but that's probably because he's completely mesmerized by her. He can be blind to her actions at times. 

Choice Quote from RED: "She was temptation itself but nothing about her seemed sinful. It was all heavenly."

That's all for this month! Next month I'll have another character to introduce to you all. He's a bit of a rebel who shakes things up in the story. Without him, RED wouldn't be complete. I can't wait for you all to meet him, but for now I hope you all feel a little closer to Ronan. There will be a lot more of him in RED.  Remember, RED is the second part to A Tragic Heart and the second book in my RED TRAGEDIES series. You still have time to catch up before the release of RED!

By the way, if Ronan was a song he'd be "Simonize" by Pete Yorn. 

 

RED Is Gearing Up!!!!!!!!

"Ego. Our ego is who we are. It’s the part of our functioning mind that is stuck between the id and the superego. My ego is who I am. It balances out my subconscious mind bringing me back to reality whenever I fall victim to my id or superego. My ego is nervous. Anxious. Guilty. My ego is red."-RED

 I'm happy to say that RED is going to go through the editing process starting July 1st! The novel is pretty long so it'll take a while to edit but I was told the latest I will have the manuscript back in my possession will be December 1st. This means that RED won't be able to come out in the Fall as I originally planned but it will be available by the Winter of 2015. 

As I mentioned before, the novel may not be as emotional as A Tragic Heart but it does have a lot of twists and turns. The plot is a little riskier and it continues to touch on major issues during teenage years.

SPOILERS! PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ A TRAGIC HEART! SKIP TO NEXT SECTION!

For those of you who read the first novel, A Tragic Heart, you all know that part of the ending resulted in Taylor having Peyton's baby long after he's gone. RED follows the life of Taylor's daughter who is named after her father. Peyton (the daughter) is all grown up (the novel starts when she's 16, just like her mom) and she's being raised by Mason and Adayln (you all should remember them). Peyton has a lot in common with both her mother and father and the novel follows her struggle to grow up without them in her life. She's carefree and loves to take risks but many of her choices can seem less than desirable to others. 

Spoilers Ended! 

 

A lot like A Tragic Heart, RED is told from multiple point of views which means that everyone has a story and everyone has their own drama going on. I believe that it can be hard to tell a complete story from one point of view because realistically there is always more than one side to a story. People constantly make the same mistakes and it usually takes us more than one time to learn from them. RED is all about making mistakes, learning from your past, and moving on with life the best way you could. Sometimes we're ashamed of who we used to be but the important thing is to remember that we are not those people. We are who we think we can be and that's a very important theme in RED.

I'll start revealing character names soon. Maybe a write up on each character until the release of the novel...that sounds tempting enough!

 -S. Elle Cameron

It's The Little Things! :-)

 "It's the little things and the joy they bring..."

 

I finished my fourth novel, Turn It Off a couple of days ago (it's the third and final installment in the "Tragic" series) and now I realized I have nothing to do until I decide to start my fifth. I'm trying to wait it out so I can start with a fresh mind and let go of the characters I learned to love so much (and who were very real to me) and that's when I realized how much something so small like completing a project can mean.

My first novel, A Tragic Heart has been receiving great reviews from readers and truthfully, I can't remember the last time I felt so...whole (probably in Australia back in November/December). The recent reviews I received confirmed just how much I want to continue with the writing thing. My entire life I always wanted to be a part of entertainment and the positive feedback I've been receiving from people only makes me want this more. A little thing like a simple review on Amazon or Goodreads meant the world to me. It caused me to think that maybe the little things aren't so little after all.

As I'm preparing to release RED (part 2 of A Tragic Heart), I keep thinking about if people will like it or not. Of course not everyone will give you a positive review but after the reviews from A Tragic Heart, I feel the pressure to push out the same quality for RED.

Little things make a big difference. Three new reviews helped me realize that I have to stay on top of things and showed me how much I don't want to disappoint any of my readers. People are now depending on me for a good story and that's what I want to give them 100% of the time.

Most people see writing a novel as a big deal and freak out when I say I've written four and about to start on my fifth. It never seems like a big deal to me. I always assume it's because I'm so young (only 22), but now that I think about it, it may actually be a big deal. It took a few reviews for me to get that.

I guess the point of this post is to remind everyone that the little things are the things that truly matter in life. Most of us forget that and don't appreciate whatever is around us enough. A good review can change the course of your day and leave you feeling euphoric. Someone telling you you look nice today can leave you feeling confident. It's a small compliment but it does make a difference, doesn't it?

So, as you all go on about your day whether it's bad or good, try to appreciate the little things through it all...listening to the song below may help also!

A Tragic Heart available here