Title: Ashes & Ice
She is desperate to remember. He is aching to forget. Together, they are not broken. But together, one may not survive. Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands. Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough. LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice
1. Waiting is torture.
Getting your novel ready to publish involves A LOT of waiting. You wait for edits, critiques, covers, designs... the list goes on and on. I was itching to get whatever I was waiting for back in my hands so that I could sweat, drool, giggle over it and of course, share the crap out of it. Stuff your pockets full of patience. You'll need it.
2. Your book baby is vulnerable.
Every time you send your mss out or have given details to a deigner, you not only have to wait for feedback. You also have to bear this awful feeling of vulnerability. Will they like my work? Will they destroy my idea? Will they hurt my baby?? A few things to help guard against this feeling is to 1) realize you can ignore/change what you don't like 2) if you have done your research, you probably shouldn't worry so much.
3. Reviews are a mixed bag.
Your book baby will always be vulnerable to reviews. Positive reviews are more exciting and beautiful than any Christmas present. Seriously, I have re-read some of these awesome reviews when I am feel especially low and they are an instant pick-me-up. Negative ones can stab into you. I think the most important thing to realize is that 1) everyone loves different things and it's okay if they aren't in love with what you have created 2) sometimes these reviews are very insightful into how you can improve and 3) if you are an Indie, you can always ignore or edit and re-release.
4. Editing (with a professional) is a must.
You may have a MFA, but you'll never catch all of your errors. Never. Sometimes you can have multiple editors, beta readers, critique partners and you will still miss the their/there's or then/than's or the stray commas. I had a beta reader, and two paid editors go through my work and I still found a few stray punctuation errors and wording issues. Imagine writers who just write and upload!
5. The competition is crazy.
Okay, let's just look at Amazon. You are looking at 400,000+ ebooks! YOWSER!!! So, you have to be proud of any improvements in rank. I am so happy that Ashes and Ice has stayed on the Top 100 for three categories. And even if it moves up one spot, I do a little happy dance. I go into fangirl freak out mode when Ashes and Ice is hanging out with the likes of Cassandra Clare on the list.
6. Organization will help you keep your sanity.
Whether it be a draft of your manuscript or a blog post or some contact info, try to be as organized as possible. I am learning this :)
7. Never advertise your release date until the manuscript is practically done.
My editor is smiling at me right now. I drove her crazy! I set my release date before my mss was done and it left me scrambling in the end.
8. Inspiration is optional.
You can't wait for the muse when you are trying to finish a book or make a dealine. You have to MAKE it happen. As my editor told me, "Grab inspiration by the balls."
9. The Book Reader/Writer community is beyond awesome.
I have made so many friends networking and learning the ins and outs of publishing. The Indie community is very supportive and we are all so excited when someone succeeds. I can't imagine a more fun group to belong to...
10. Pride is inevitable.
In the end, it is an incredible feeling to have something you have created out in the world.
Jade
The girl’s glassy, dead eyes stare into me, through me, pierce me with a fierce urgency, with a wicked accusation. The blood is still on my hands.
Red hair, blue eyes, a constellation of freckles on pale skin. She was fragile and innocent, a lovely thing. That is what I think until I see the gashes on her wrists and
throat. With her blood spilling out, she looks delicious. She’s mine. Possessiveness shocks me, stabs into me. I run, tearing away from a craving I don't understand.
Breathless, I grit my teeth and run harder, faster.
My feet pound against the earth, away from the lifeless body and toward the lights of the city lingering on the horizon. Rot and death linger in my nostrils. Unscarred skin stretches taut over my freezing bones. Echoes of an empty memory reverberate in my mind, taunting me. The ice chases me, clutches me, and bites at my heels, sending shivers up my spine. The ice wants me back, but I run forward, toward the lights, toward the heat, toward a world that burns me, because I have no other choice.
The lights are so close. Heat scalds my skin.
Images race through my mind, paralyzing me. I skid to a stop, my boots digging into the mud. The vision’s blurred edges materialize into solid shapes.
I gasp.
A new horror rakes my insides. Desperation propels me forward; the pictures nagging at my seams threaten to tear me apart.
Scorching fire licks over my skin. In my vision, I contort like a vile, ugly creature, eyes as black as decay. My frame hunches over the small, dead girl, like a demon looming over a defenseless child. Her blood drips from my mouth.
I lick my lips and taste only salty sweat.
I run, desperate to trample the vision under my feet, to crush it deep into the ground.
I refuse to believe the image, refuse to acknowledge the monster within me demanding to be unleashed—and the possibility it has already been unbound. An unrelenting tide of fear washes over me. Past the denial, the fear, and the hope, I think I can still taste her.
The cold stillness inside me cracks open just as the lights of the city slam into me.
About the Author
Rochelle grew up dreaming up stories. When she entered high school, she tucked away her creative side and jumped head-first into academics, work, and service projects. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Communication when she was twenty years old. After years away from her writing, Rochelle picked up a pen and started fleshing out a character sketch that she outlined when she was twelve. That sketch was the start of the Ashes and Ice story. Rochelle lives in the DC metro area with her husband and daughter. By day she works as a behavioral therapist. By night, she is a dreamer and is busy tapping out new stories on her keyboard.
Links:
Twitter: @rockyiswriting
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