The Fulfillment Series

The Fulfillment Series
Showing posts with label Jessica Calla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessica Calla. Show all posts

Monday, May 8, 2017

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>



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 

(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! 






Wednesday, March 22, 2017

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.

(Chase--the sexy bad boy)

(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! 

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Life of an Editor

Howdy, y'all! I hope you enjoyed my previous two posts about why you need a quality cover artist and editor. I hope to post a few more blogs on those topics in the coming months. But for now, I thought you might be interested in a little behind-the-scenes look at the life of an editor.




Ok, so as you know, I work for both BookFish Books and Tenacious Books Publishing, and I run a freelance business. What does all that look like? 

Well, it's a bit hectic, to say the least...

I am a trained line and copy editor, but I've had the pleasure of working with some truly great content editors (Heather Van Fleet, Katie Carroll, and Anya Kagan, to name a few). From them, I've learned A LOT about content editing. So, since one BookFish content editor is on maternity leave and the other is away on a family emergency, I stepped out of my line/copy editing role and took on content editing for Meet Me Under The Stars. Note: This isn't the first time I've had to step in on content, and I find I quite enjoy it. 

So, I've been working with the KD Proctor to whip this amazing story into the best shape of its life. And let me say, KD is a true pleasure to work with. She's funny and prompt, and she puts her whole heart into her story. Can't beat that!

KD Proctor

While I worked on Meet Me Under The Stars, Tenacious Books Publishing signed Chrissy Lessey and her The Crystal Coast Series. These books are set to release in the summer, so I had to jump on those edits quickly. I'd do set of edits for KD, send them to her, do a set of edits for Chrissy, and send them to her, just in time to get KD's edits back again.

Chrissy Lessey


Now, don't forget, as senior editor, I also read the final draft of all books from BookFish before they go out, and I format them for eBook and print. While I've been busily working on Meet Me Under the Stars and The Crystal Coast Series, Jessica Calla has been working with her editors on She Wants It All (the third book in The Sheridan Hall series). In a few days, I'll be set to be the final pair of eyes on this story before it goes into production, which I'll also handle. BUT I've still got edits on The Hunted (Book 2 of The Crystal Coast Series), The Beacon (Book 3 of The Crystal Coast Series), the final read-through for Meet Me Under The Stars, and production for all three books in The Crystal Coast Series, Meet Me Under The Stars, and She Wants It All.

The gorgeous cover by the supremely talent Anita Carroll!

Is your head spinning? I know mine is! But that's a sneak peek of what it's like to work for two separate publishing companies and fit in all the various deadlines.

Despite all the work we have to do, Deek and I managed to sneak away to Colonial Williamsburg for a little R&R this past weekend. What a nice, relaxing time with my best friend! As my family always says: I love you to the moon and back! Thank you so much, my Deek, for whisking me away from all my responsibilities and filling my weekend with fun, laughter, and love. You amaze me every single day, and I fall a bit more in love with you with each passing moment! 

Since Deek's doing a whole blog on our trip, I'll just give you a little sneak peek at some photos he didn't use. ;) 

Coffee'd up and ready to go!

We tried "real" chocolate. Surprisingly VERY good!

Very cool electrolyte water bottle

One of the oldest college buildings in America (campus of William and Mary)


At the lectern in one of the oldest classrooms in America.
The College of William and Mary STILL holds class here. How cool is that?


You can't take us anywhere...

The prison where Blackbeard's men were held until their hangings!
This one is for you, Chrissy (The Crystal Coast Series)!

He's my partner, my best friend, my soul mate, my world! <3

Hubba hubba!! 

Well, since I've got massive deadlines to meet, I better scram! Catch you on the flip side, friends! 

Until next time, live out loud! 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

She Wants It All -- Jessica Calla

Cover Reveal! SHE WANTS IT ALL (Book 3, Sheridan Hall Series)

Author: Jessica Calla
Genre: NA Romance
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Publisher: BookFish Books
Cover Designer: Anita B. Carroll, Race-Point US



About She Wants it All...

Happy to sing cover songs with his band and float through New Jersey University with little to no effort, Dave Novak spends the first week of college partying. Then he meets Maggie Patrinski. Performing on stage in front of hundreds is easy for Dave, but the mere thought of Maggie sends his heart racing and turns him into a bumbling idiot. Even so, he can’t get her out of his mind.


Maggie’s not exactly thrilled when her roommate sets her up with Second Floor Dave, the hottie with a reputation. Not only has she just had her heart broken, but she’s vying for a competitive summer internship and studying to become a vet. She doesn’t have time for guys and isn’t interested in falling in love, especially when she may be moving across the country for the summer.


But as Maggie gets to know Dave, his charm wins her over and she falls hard and fast. The problem? Maggie has goals, Dave doesn’t. Maggie studies, Dave doesn’t. Maggie wants it all, Dave only wants her. With their summer plans up in the air and past mistakes creeping back into their lives, their future together is uncertain. The only thing they’re sure of is that when they’re together, they’re better.

Other Books In the Sheridan Hall Series...

SHE LAUGHS IN PINK (Book 1, Sheridan Hall Series)

SHE RUNS AWAY (Book 2, Sheridan Hall Series)


About the Author...

Jessica Calla is a contemporary romance, new adult, and women's fiction author who moonlights during the day as an attorney. If she's not writing, lawyering, or parenting, you'll most likely find her at the movies, scrolling through her Twitter feed, or gulping down various forms of caffeine (sometimes all three at once).


Jessica is a member of Romance Writers of America, involved in the Contemporary, Young Adult, and New Jersey Chapters, and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. A Jersey girl through and through, she resides in the central part of the state with her husband, two sons, and dog.











Rafflecopter Giveaway! $25 Amazon Gift Card


http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6d6904f26/?

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Winter Is Coming and Other Rhew Updates

Winter is coming. <cries> I am a summer girl through and through. Give me the beach and warm sunshine any day. But alas, until Deek and I start our vagabond life and move to warm places in the winter, I'm stuck being frozen. <cries again>

How we survive winter--big coats, warm hats, and coffee!!

Be prepared to see lots of pics of me in hats because keeping warm is more important to me than cute hair. <cries> Winter...

Also, my pal Jessica Calla released a new book today: She Runs Away. It's the second in the Sheridan Hall series. Let me tell you, Jess really has her finger on the pulse of the NA romance market. You'll love her writing style and characters. Keep reading for more info on She Runs Away!!

Trinna just HAD to get her paws on a copy!


Physical therapy: 

So, Deek told you I've recently started physical therapy to heal the damage done to me in a previous relationship. You can read Deek's account, of watching a survivor struggle, here and my account about being a survivor here.

When I went to the doctor to talk about lingering pain I have from my time in an abusive relationship, I wanted a solution to fix it. The doctor ran tons of tests and handed me a piece of paper: undeniable, irrefutable proof, in black-and-white, of the abuse I'd suffered. And while it was affirming to see a tangible representation of the truths I'd spoken, it wasn't a solution. But sadly, all the doctors had to offer me was that proof; they said my pain would just be a "quality of life" issue.

Well, that didn't jive with me, so I did what I am freakishly good at doing: research.



And I discovered many people had found real solutions to these problems in physical therapy. Again, I researched and found an office in my area that specializes in my type of situation. I called and told them about my pain, about who and what caused it, and asked if they thought they could help. And to my immense relief, they said they could.

On the first day I met with my physical therapist, she said given my history of being abused, I'd need a very specialized treatment program. She ran some tests and affirmed--as the doctors had--that abuse had caused my pain. BUT she disagreed with the docs about it being simply a "quality of life" issue. She saw no reason why I couldn't completely reverse the damage, even the bad ones done to certain nerves!! She explained it like this: My nerves had been damaged, and my muscles had grown accustomed to being constantly tense, constantly "on alert" and ready to protect my body. And even though I've been safe for years, my muscles and nerves don't know how to undo what they've learned. So, we're teaching them. And as the muscles stop preparing for attack, the damage to the nerves will heal. We have to get my body out of protection mode and into healing mode.


Deek comes with me to my physical therapy sessions, and the therapist teaches him things he can do to help me at home. I am beyond blessed to have such a supportive partner throughout this process. My therapist says she's never seen an individual so prepared--yay, research--and a couple so committed to working together to tackle this problem. She said she knew from day one I would succeed in this endeavor because of it.

After only a few visits, I've already seen a marked reduction in pain. I will beat this. I will be victorious. With Deek by my side, as always. Stay tuned for the day when I proclaim: I am pain free!!

Team Tenacious tackles all problems...together. Boom!

Anniversary:

So, Deek and I celebrated another anniversary! We spent the weekend together: chilling, talking, eating, and getting a massage. I love how we both value time together rather than money spent. It's all about the time, my friends. 


Gosh, I epically adore this man!!!

Ready for massages

But first, some fries...

We always eat at Wendy's for lunch on our anniversaries because it's the first meal we shared together when we met in person.

Couple's massage...ahhhhhh.

Then we may have lived it up in a less relaxing location! LOL!

In Bookish News:

We got celebratory coffee after talking to the biggest local retailer about carrying our books!!

Deek got some super amazing, incredibly exciting book news, but we can't share the deets yet!

My friend and coworker, Jessica Calla, released her second book. It's soooooo good!

About She Runs Away

After tragedy strikes New Jersey University's Sheridan Hall, freshman quarterback Ben Riley’s stable, normal life is turned upside down. Sidelined from playing the game he loves and on the verge of losing his scholarship, Ben wants nothing more than to escape the chaos of college and return home to rural Pennsylvania and his family.

Yet, there is something that keeps him from running. Or someone. A cute blonde he had a chance with but blew off for all the wrong reasons.

Megan Smith has secrets. Secrets that have burned her in the past. Secrets she’s unwilling to share with anyone at Sheridan Hall—especially Ben, her sexy, rough around the edges floormate who broke her heart in a matter of days after moving into Sheridan. Meg decided early on that it’s easier to live life on her own than to share her secrets and let people in.

Meg runs and Ben follows, but sooner or later the clock on their chance at love will expire. With inner demons dragging them both down, they must find a way to stop running and trust one another, or risk losing their perfectly-matched love forever.


This is Jess. Ain't she cute??


And Other Randomness:

Deek and I had the opportunity to go learn about falconry this past weekend. I'm a big history buff and proponent of the "never stop learning" ideal, so we went. We learned a ton about birds of prey and even got to pet a fluffy owl and touch a hawk's talons!!

We froze our buns off but learned a lot of fascinating things!

Annabelle the barn owl

Christmas is coming!!!

Nerding it up with my hat and glasses.

Trinna Baby wants to be part of the hand holding. Be still my heart!

Sometimes, we just can't be serious... ;) 


Until next time, be a beacon of light and love in the world.