Changes

There's the old saying, "The only thing that never changes is that everything changes." Well, that's true. Another one I like is, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Last year, a lot of things changed--my dad had bypass surgery, my beloved PaPa died, we bought a house and moved, friends and family from the PNW came to stay with us, and my biological father died. It was a mixed bag of good and bad. More bad than good, so I was happy to see 2017 go. Buh-bye.

Some days life feel like this...

And this year is starting out with changes too. BookFish Books, the small press I've worked for since 2013, is closing its doors. It's a bittersweet thing for me. On the one hand, I'm sad for the authors, sad the business wasn't able to stand the test of time, sad because these beautiful books won't be in the world, at least temporarily (I hope some of the authors will sign with other presses or self-pub). And on the other hand, it gives me more time to focus on my writing, build my editing business, and work with new authors at Tenacious Books Publishing.

But still, it's hard to say goodbye. Some of the BookFish people are like family to me. Thankfully we live in a digital world where everyone is just a text or email away. And yet...it'll never be the same.

In general, I would say I roll with change quite well (except for the season changes because I abhor winter), so I consider myself pretty adaptable. But I still haven't accepted PaPa's loss, and I'm still puzzling out the situation with my biological father's death. Deek always says I'm a deep thinker with a huge brain. While I suppose that's good in a lot of ways, it can make letting go of deeply important things that much harder.

His BabyDoll forever...

At the same time, change reminds us to be thankful for the times we had and the things that are the same. I'll always have my memories of PaPa, and I'll be his BabyDoll for the rest of my days. I'll always be proud of the BookFish team and the amazing books we unleashed upon the world. Some of these things may fade in my mind over time, but the imprint they leave on my heart will last forever. 

So as things go away, I'm focusing on what's still here. While Deek and I will grow and changes as people and as a couple, we'll stand the test of time. That knowledge brings me great comfort in these moments when changes overwhelm me. I glance at my husband, and a peace comes over me. He's my rock, my happy place, my calm in the storm. When my heart aches over PaPa, or when ponder life because of what happened to my biological father, or when I choke up working on the final paperwork for BookFish, Deek is there. He's there to hold me when I cry, discuss my many random and varying theories, and tell me everything is going to work out fine. He's full of life, joy, passion, and humor. I adore that about him!

This man, y'all! This man makes my world so bright!!

In times of change or uncertainty, grab on to what is real, loving, and tangible. Remember the good times from the past, but step boldly into your future.

Erin and Deek forever!

Tenacious Books Publishing

Molly and Ryder, my YA sci-fi novel

Self-Editing

Deek and I send our thoughts and well-wishes to everyone affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and to all who are dealing with the fires, especially our friends and family out that way. It's been crazy watching the Pacific Northwest burn, Houston drown, and the East Coast brace for Irma. I'm ready for the weather to settle down a bit. Better yet, can we just have summer back??

I can't believe how cold it's gotten in the last few days. I'm freezing, and it's only September!! Ugh, hurry up and be Christmas and then go back to summer. ;)

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So, I finished the rough draft of my Molly and Ryder story!!! YAY! I worked and reworked the first chapter and then sent it to my hubby and critique partners to see if they thought I'd created a gripping enough opening. If you don't get the beginning right, the rest doesn't matter because no one will get that far.

Like always, my brilliant hubs and Dream Team offered valuable feedback. I've worked in their suggestions, and now I'm trickling that down to the rest of the story. As I do that, I'm making notes to myself along the way. Some of them are very brilliant like "Do better" and "Be more clever here." LOL!

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*Don't worry. If you hire me to edit your work, I'll be much more specific in my instructions. Haha! But I know what I mean when I say that to myself. ;) 

Self-editing is very important. I've heard this crazy notion of people finishing their rough drafts and sending those directly to critique partners and editors, or worse...to publishers and agents. Whenever anyone asks me for my biggest piece of advice to writers, I always say edit, edit, edit, and when you think you're done, edit some more. NEVER turn your rough draft over to anyone. You should edit that thing until you've exhausted yourself. And when you've completed that, let your beta readers and critique partners have a look. Then, edit it again. And when you're like, "Yes, it's as good as it can get," edit it one more time. I'm not even kidding.

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At BookFish and Tenacious, we can always tell when someone hasn't put in the editing effort. You don't want an agent or publisher to think you don't value your work enough to put in the time to make it great. Don't shoot yourself in the foot right out of the starting gate.

Even though Deek and I are both knee-deep in editing (he's working on a sci-fi called The eXtractor), we've taken some time out for a little fun and exploration to keep our minds fresh. Take your own little mental break and join us...

I love this man so hard, I might cheesy grin my lips right off my face!

Editing in the coffee shop all author like

Taking a walk/hike through some beautiful woods!

Amazing corridor!

I feel like this is some weird rock-paper-scissors thing...

Post-run in the pre-Irma wind and rain.

Gawd, I love him!

Every day, I think I have reached the pinnacle of love for this man because it's at an epic high, but every single day, I love him more. It's like the universe, ever-expanding.

This is representative of my life--full of happiness, laughter, and love.

Enjoying a little culture.

Oh yeah! Summer/beach girl in heaven!

The future becomes the present!

Until next time, Trinna has a PSA...

Edit, edit, edit.

I Did A Thing

So, I did a thing. I cut off most of my hair. Why? Because I wanted to. I'd been talking it over with Deek for a little while, and when I went in for my trim, I asked my hairdresser to just hack it off.

I'm pretty excited about it for a variety of reasons, but one of them is COLOR!! I had purple hair back when we lived in the PNW, and I dyed it blonde before coming back to the South. Well, for the past year, I've been trying to get my hair healthy from all those dye jobs. And it's been boring brown. Ho-hum. With short hair, I can dye my hair a variety of colors, and we'll just cut away the damaged parts. Voila! So, I'm headed back in June to get this whole thing turned white-blonde. And then, I'll have purple added to my bangs (and possibly other areas--the temple pieces or top of the spikes) in prep for the Raleigh SuperCon, where I am a feature guest. All my promo pics show purple hair, so I gotta give the people what they expect! ;) 

I'll be honest, I was a little wary of chopping off all my hair. Our culture, and a lot of men I know, place value on long hair as a sign of femaleness or femininity. So, in this sense, I'm so thankful I went to live in the Pacific Northwest for a while. I grew up in the Bible Belt South, and I never felt comfortable expressing my artistic funky side. But when I went to the PNW, that sort of thing is embraced and celebrated. I learned just how big and diverse this country really is. And I learned it's okay to be me. It's okay not to fit the status quo.

I'm an artist. I'm expressive. I like to try new things. That's who I am. And that's more than okay. 

I'm also incredibly thankful to have a husband who not only accepts this part of my personality but embraces it. When I asked him what he thought about cutting my hair, he said, "Do it. One of the things I love about you is that you're bold and try new things. And changing your hair is one of the ways you do that. So, if you want to cut it, cut it."

When I texted him this picture yesterday, he replied back, "This is about as cute as humanly possible." He loves me just like I am, in all my variety of shapes, colors, and hairstyles. And I appreciate that about him so very much. I'm completely free to be me.

In other news, I recently found out that the cover artist for both BookFish Books and Tenacious Books Publishing is taking a summer vacation sabbatical. Why is that a big deal you ask? Well, she designs the final print covers for the books, and we have TWO releasing while she's away. That means all edits must be completed and all formatting done BEFORE she leaves! We had a schedule in place to complete said edits and formatting in June, but that deadline had to be seriously pushed up. So, I've been working with our authors and editors to get these books ready. Once they come to the formatter, they have to be done-done. No more major changes once a book enters formatting. We can make minor changes (a comma here, a word swap there), but the meat and bones have to be mostly done.

Releases June 27, 2017

Releases July 18, 2017

Releases July 25, 2017

So, big props to the editors and authors for getting everything done and to me for formatting. I'm happy to report that the formatting for ALL summer release books (except The Beacon, which releases after our cover artist's vacation) is DONE! <high fives to my editing team and authors>

And Chrissy Lessey is even offering a sneak peek of her prologue for The Coven, which not only highlights her amazing writing but my formatting as well!

Despite all the work and hectic deadlines, Deek and I managed to have some fun hiking and attending a local festival! 

The journey to who-knows-where

Hubba hubba

Gorgeous bridges

A treat for our hard work! ;) 

Representing BookFish!

Enjoying a local festival

This little presh guy turned one!

When we adopted him, the shelter thought he was about six months old, and that was six months ago!

Happy Birthday, Gussie!

We adore you!

Until next time--BE YOU!

Cray-zee Up In Here

Y'all, it's cray-zee up in here. I'm doing projects for BookFish Books, Tenacious Books, and Erin Rhew Editing and Design. All the books release between May and August, so I'm racing around like a mad woman. Several of the deadline bump right up against one another, and some have been pushed up due to scheduling conflicts with the cover artist or author's work/summer plans. GAH! <breaths in a bag>

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Today is the ONLY day I'm in between projects, so I thought I'd drop in and say hello to my amazing blog readers and friends. Ok, to catch you up on other goings-on.

In Super News: I was asked to be a guest author at the Raleigh SuperCon! I'm so excited to be signing books and hosting panels on fantasy and sci-fi topics. Deek will also be there, and he's hosting a panel on virtual reality, which ties into the theme of his latest book!

RESTORE TO ME: My historical fiction novel is under full manuscript review by several agents. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of them picks it up because this book is extra special to me. I started writing this story a long time ago (we won't say how long), and my friend Joe Willson was my "go to" person for information on the time period. Two years ago, Joe passed away from cancer. It's our last project together, and I'd really like to see it go somewhere. I want people to read the dedication and understand that the world lost an amazing light when Joe left. 

In fact, if you're so inclined, I encourage you to donate to the Melanoma Research Foundation (if you want to make your donation in Joe's honor, I'd be so grateful).

Tenacious Books: I am in the final stages of designing the print version of The Coven by Chrissy Lessey for Tenacious Books Publishing! I'm so stoked with how it turned out! Here's a sneak peek...

By the way, if you've already read the old version of The Coven, it's totally different now. Not only does it have a rockin' new cover but it's been through major edits. You'll enjoy a whole new story the second time around, so don't forget to pick up the new copy! You already know Chrissy is an amazing author, so now you can see her at her finest! 

BookFish Books: We have two new adult releases coming up--one in May and one in July! I love both of these authors and their writing styles, so I'm super stoked!

She Wants It All by Jessica Calla (my FAVORITE book boyfriend of Jess' yet!!)

and 

Meet Me Under The Stars by K.D. Proctor

(one word...Nate)

Deek: Let me just start out by saying I am the luckiest woman in the whole world. Deek is THE BEST man I've ever met. He's just tops. I can't say enough good things about him because there aren't enough words that exist in the world. He's THAT awesome! 

I'm SO proud of him for completing his rough draft for his sci-fi novel, eXtractors! You can read all about how he wrote himself an editorial letter (before he lets me and Anya get our hands on it)! 

Pictures: You know I always have to include some pictures from our life, so here they are! ;) 

At least the working environment isn't too shabby...

And I'm not lonely.

Goofing off at Rocket Fizz. 

The first one I ever went to was in Portland, so it's a little piece of the Pacific Northwest in the South.

May the 4th Be With You!

Date Night!

This man, y'all, this MAN! I epically adore him and love every minute we spend together! 

Bookish Ramblings

So, I just finished the final edits on She Wants It All by Jessica Calla. And I have to say, it's amazing!! One of the cool things about being a senior editor is that I get to see the book after they've been through content and line. I get to see the *almost* finished product and just touch it up a teeny bit. And whenever I get Jess' books, I'm floored by just how good they are. She has a really natural NA voice, and I find myself sucked into her stories each and every time.

She Laughs In Pink

(Chase--the sexy bad boy)

She Runs Away

(Ben--muscles)

She Wants It All

(Dave--the rockstar with the heart of gold)

She Wants It All releases 5/15/17

Now, I loved Chase in She Laughs in Pink. In fact, not even Ben (who is great) in She Runs Away could knock Chase off the swoon pedestal. But then came Dave in She Wants It All. And for me, he tops them all. He takes the crown and wears it proudly. 

I think I like Dave so much because he reminds me of my own husband, Deek. Like my man, Dave wants to be a rockstar. You might remember my very own Deek had dreams of being a rock god back in his college years too. 

Here he is with his childhood bestie and bandmate, Chris.

And he still hasn't *totally* given it up! ;) 

But I think Dave mostly reminds me of Deek because of how very much he loves Maggie. He falls for her hard, and he'd move heaven and earth for her. Deek treats me like that. I feel like I'm living in a real life fairytale, especially coming from the life I came from (read about my old life here and here). Deek treats me like I'm the only woman in the world and his life mission is to make me feel loved and happy. I had no idea such wonderful men existed! 

He's beyond swoony

So, when you go to read She Wants It All and you wonder if men that amazing really do exist, I can confirm they do! I am married to a man who is the kindest, funniest, most talented, most loving person I've ever encountered. Dream guys are real, so don't settle for the scumbags. ;) 

Dream guys *are* real!

In other news, you may remember that I'm a senior editor at Tenacious Books as well as BookFish Books. Well, Tenacious has been working with the supremely talented Anita B. Carroll at Race-Point to create a logo, and they just released it. 

Do these rock or what? There's a reason #AnitaIsAmazing is a Twitter hashtag! ;) The woman rules! Now I'm going to shamelessly self-promote for a minute. If you're looking to self-publish and want to hire Anita to do your cover, she's teamed up with me and Anya Kagan to offer a great service called The Rhewbix Cube. Check it out! You won't find a better deal on quality covers and edits. 

In other bookish news, I'm sitting on the cover for Meet Me Under The Stars by KD Proctor (BookFish Books), and I'm about to burst with excitement to share it. It's another Anita special, so you know it will knock your socks off. KD said she screamed in excitement when she saw the final version, and she yelled so loudly her officemates rushed in to see what was wrong. LOL! PS. I'm just going to let it slip that I loved this book. KD submitted a totally different version to BFB initially, and I liked that version a lot. But this new one...holy wow! SO GOOD! 

KD Proctor

Meet Me Under The Stars releases 7/12/17

And I'm working with Chrissy Lessey on the Tenacious Books side on her Crystal Coast Series. She and Anita are working through cover mock-ups, and Chrissy and I are working on transforming her story from omnipotent narrator to third person limited. There is something about Chrissy's writing--a purity--that's refreshing and endearing. I adore the story already, but I'm stoked beyond measure to see where Chrissy can take it! 

The whole Crystal Coast Series returns this summer!

At this moment, I'm in the rare position of being in between projects, so you know what that means?? Writing time!! So, I'm going to hop off the blog and work on the nameless Molly and Ryder story. I don't know if I told you, but I had trouble getting the book out. No matter what I tried, the words didn't work (I've written and rewritten this one a few times already). So, I decided to turn the sequel into the first story, and the words are pouring out like a river. I guess the sequel was always meant to be the real story, but I just didn't realize it. I seriously can't wait for you guys to meet Molly, Ryder, Jason, Tash, and Mac. I hope you'll love them as much as I do!

This was the promo I made for the original story,

 so I guess I'll need to update it. LOL!

Ok, off to write. Until next time, write hard, play hard!