Well, it's Monday again, which means it's time for the news! Summertime is practically upon us and I love, love, LOVE warm weather. Today is rainy and kind of chilly here, but I know the heat is just around the corner. Of course, the good weather means that I have less time for writing because I am out and about doing fun stuff (like camping and tourist-y stuff)! So I am trying to squeeze in as much writing as I can when hubby is at work so that I can do the fun stuff with him after hours. 
    So, back to what you really want to know! Broken Dreams is coming along nicely! I think you'll love Rainey and Baker's story - they are both easy-going and not quite as high-maintenance as Luke & Mallory were. This means they are more fun to mess with, of course. ;) The plan is to have their story written and sent to betas by June 20th. The cover reveal for Broken Dreams  is set for June 25th! I have a tentative pub date of August 6, 2013, but I'm not going to hold that too tightly until we get closer. 
    Summer's Ghost is my very first paranormal and I absolutely LOVE writing it. It's different from what I usually write, so I am learning a lot about the paranormal aspect of things as well as getting into destroying Summer's life like no other character I've written! SG will likely be longer than any of the Broken series books, since paranormal requires so much more detail about the world they live in. I am hoping to have the cover reveal in mid-July and the pub date in September, if I can swing it. 
    Broken Pieces, the third book in the Broken series, should be available in December, I hope. I have so many books in my head, I want them all to be out as quickly as I can manage. And Broken Pieces will end the Broken series (I think). We'll have to see what happens closer to then. 
    Ideally, I'd like to see all three books out by October and then have another ready for publication in December, but I'm not sure that will happen, so I don't want to get anyone's hopes up (especially mine)! I'll keep everyone up-to-date with what's going on! :D
Have a great week!

Andrea Heltsley is a transplant from St. Louis to Tennessee who decided writing was
more fun than science. She writes new adult books and has a very active imagination. Andrea is always thinking of new ideas and penning them for her
next book. She has a passion for the new adult industry and plans to continue
writing in the genre. 



Andrea's Links:

http://andreaheltsley.blogspot.com
https://www. twitter.com/andreaheltsley
http://www. facebook.com/andreaheltsley
http://pinterest.com/aheltsley/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5766043.Andrea_Heltsley

Andrea's Books on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Heltsley/e/B007RFLR4E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1368795418&sr=8-1

It's been an insane week and I completely spaced my top tens list yesterday. THIS is why I have post-its all over my desk at any given time... I just don't have memory to do this stuff on my own. :D
I'll get to my list in a moment. I just wanted to add to my updates from Monday - I will publishing TWO books this summer, both Broken Dreams & Summer's Ghost. I don't have release dates, but they will both be available by September! Yay!

TOP TEN HOTTEST MALE CELEBRITIES! (Part 1)
*Disclaimer: I couldn't choose just ten, so this will be a two-part post with part 2 coming next Wednesday. This part is for male celebs under the age of 33. It's a weird age stop but my top twenty are split equally older and younger than 33. So here are the young'uns! Rank #10-#1

Mmmmm... Chace Crawford is my #1!!!!

Come back next Wednesday to see the hottie list for those over 33!

So ladies, who is your #1 hottie under 33??????

Well, after two full weeks of soul searching, I have finally come to the realization that Broken Dreams, the second book of the Broken Series, will not be the next book I publish. I am taking a break from the Broken Series in order to write a different new adult book.

The Broken Series books are all very close together, and I'm afraid if I write Broken Dreams now, the characters won't have the depth that I want them to have.

So I will be working on Summer's Ghost, a stand alone novel about a young woman who must learn to let go of her past in order to take control of her future. Those are all the details I'm going to give out right now, but you can watch for the Cover reveal & official blurb on June 25th from GCRPromotions. Summer's Ghost will be released in August and Broken Dreams will be published in late Novermber/early December.

Chances are, I will take a break from the Broken Series again after Broken Dreams, so the final book of the series, Broken Pieces will be available in March 2014.

I hope this clears things up! Have a great week!!!

As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As
they say, some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time
between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live
inside her head and pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English. As it is for most
writers, finding balance is a challenge. JC is a San Francisco Bay Area native,
but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she rocks her flip
flops year round in Northern California and can’t imagine a climate more
beautiful.
 With the support and encouragement of her parents and sister, JC set out to figure
out what she wanted to do when she grew up. Most days, the jury is still out;
however the thing that stuck with her no matter what she pursued was her love of
the written word.
 
JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many different
genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder mysteries, yet
she is most enthralled by supernatural stories-- and everything has at least a
splash of romance.
 
Website
Facebook
 
 
 

It's Top Ten Wednesday! Check out my list of the funniest movies!! Movies are listed #10 - #1

#1 is The Hangover, because I've never laughed as hard as I did during this movie. And I could watch it, again and again! :D

Starting this Friday, I will be hosting New Adult authors in a fun and quick interview. I hope to have many authors sign up, and below are my answers to the interview questions. Enjoy.

    My favorite pastime is procrastination. I mean, honestly, I love how the internet allows me to see all the work I need to get done but completely ignore it and play games or surf the net instead. It's fun and it sure beats actual work. 
    As an author, I consider myself a professional procrastinator. I spend 8-10 hours right here at the computer screen five days a week, and some days, I don't even open up my MS. :( It's a scary thing, sometimes. But, as you all know, I have been spending my time promoting my new release and getting ready for the blog tour, which kicks off on May 13th. 
    So I thought I would share my favorite procrastination ideas with all of you, so you can be just as rushed as I am, when it comes to deadlines.

1) Farmville 2. Have you played this game? Oh em gee, it is so addicting! I know you see people out there who play Candy Crush who are addicted, but Farmville 2 is like that for me. It's fun and takes up about 25% of my day, depending on my mood.

2) Facebook. I put this separate from Farmville because I spend a lot of time just weeding through the feed in order to keep tabs on everyone's life. Oh, and people have some messed up lives. Seriously, just check your news feed!

3) Twitter. I will be honest: I suck at Twitter. I always want to be one of those people who can post something hilarious and witty, but I guess I'm just not that interesting, because my Tweets almost never get RT'ed. Which is fine. But I still love scrolling through the tweets and seeing what people are up to - I have more Twitter followers than Facebook friends.

4) Check the sales sites. KDP, NookPress, and Smashwords are the sites that I check like a crazy woman, every day. I like to see my sales and figure out if there's anything I can do to improve them. For example, I dropped the price of Broken Promises to $.99 only on Barnes & Noble for a few days and managed to up the sales. I like it when the numbers go up!

5) Update/check stats of my website. Did you know I can check how many people have viewed my website each and every day? It's gotten to the point that I try to beat the previous days viewers by sharing my website on social media and see if I can keep the hits going up, up, up! So far, so good.

6) Open up the planner. I have a full-size, 8.5X11" planner that is just awesome. Plus, it's pink, so bonus points! But I like to plan my authors posts (Interviews, reviews, and cover reveals that are usually on Fridays) a month ahead of time. And I have met and learned about some amazing authors that way. I try to plan writing days, but it almost always fails. Usually because I'm procrastinating.

7) Stare into space. I know how lame this sounds, but sometimes, I get a lot of inspiration from clearing my mind and gazing out the window. And when genius hits, I promptly write down the idea and store it away for later.

8) Clean. Kitchen. Bathroom. Laundry. My bedroom. Living room. If it takes me away from staring at a blank Word doc, I'm doing it.

9) Music. I find inspiration in music and I enjoy almost all types of music. Hip-hop. Country. Rap. I have a wide collection. Spotify has become my new best friend, too. Creating playlists is something I do often when I'm bored or need that push to get back into my MS.

10) Drive. I love taking rides in my old rusted-out truck and viewing the countryside. Living in Maine, we've got a lot of scenery to take in. So I always try to remember to bring a notebook with me, in case I get an idea for a story or something. We also live near the ocean, and I could watch the waves crash over the rocky shore for hours on end, just enjoying the deafening sounds.

Well, there you have it. I may start doing a Top Ten Wednesday (everyone does them on Tuesdays and I like to be different).

    I've spent much of the last 11 days paying attention to sales of my new book, worried people would hate it and sales wouldn't be anything worthwhile. Yesterday, I reached a ranking of #1476 on Amazon! I was floored and humbled and in complete awe! To anyone who has already purchased a copy of Broken Promises: Thank You!!! If you haven't yet, but plan to, thank you, too! I am so grateful and happy about how well it's doing, and I have so much to be thankful for!
    In honor of BP doing so well, hubby took me away Saturday night to enjoy some R&R in a hotel suite. It was amazing and definitely a great time. I am so lucky to have a man who supports my career the way he does. 
    In other news, I am doing a giveaway over on Facebook for a signed paperback of Broken Promises! Just click the FB logo on the top right of this page and like the most recent status! If I get more than 100 likes, I will probably do two giveaways! :) 
    Today I am working on some swag giveaways for the author events I am attending this year. Be sure to see if I will be in your area on my events page!  

 
What is the name and release date of your current WIP or release?

By A Thread, which released March 14, 2013 and a currently untitled second book in same series May 30, 2013.

What genre of New Adult are you published in?  

Contemporary

 How are you published? 

Self-published 

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less
words, what would you say? 

By A Thread. A young woman trying to get back on her feet after a tragedy that rocks her world to the core.  Stella Murphy puts her entire life on hold, but leans on her group of  friends until she allows herself to start living again. 
 
If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what
would they say?  

Well Stella curses every other word, so she probably wouldn't have anything nice to say. 

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in Huntsville, Alabama.  I currently reside in the suburbs of Atlanta. 

What books have influenced your writing? 

I couldn't even pretend to narrow down this list to a few books that influenced me.  I have been in love with reading since the first grade and read all sorts of books.  

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet? 

John Green or Suzanne Collins.
 
Do you prefer eBooks, paperbacks or hardcover? 

I love hardcover books, but actually prefer reading ebooks.  They are more convenient. 

Where do you prefer to buy your books? 

Amazon.

What book would you like to read again? 

The Fault in Our Stars

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version? 

Fight Club, because Brad Pitt was shirtless the entire movie.  That made it
better. 

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
 
Right now, Reckless by S.C. Stephens, in ebook. 

Are there any Authors that have grasped your interest recently and why? 

Taryn Fisher, Tara Sivec, and K.A. Linde.  All for different reasons, but they are all fabulous writers.  Taryn Fisher's series is brilliant.  K.A. Linde pulled me in and I found myself wanting to read instead of doing anything else. Tara Sivec is hilarious.  I don't know her, but wish I did. 
 
Who designed the cover of your book?

Gina Gibson

Do you buy a book by the cover? 

No. 
   
Do you write under a pen name?

Yes.

When were you born?

May 26

Do you have a nickname? 

Yes, my dad's called me Boogie my entire life.  It's kind of embarrassing as an adult, but I'm used to it. 

Do you ever write in your PJ’s? 

The best writing is in my pjs.

What are your pet peeves?

People saying they are going to do things and not doing it. 
 
Any pets that you would like to tell us about? 

Cooper, a wired haired fox terrier, 15
Busta Brown, Blonde Lab, 6

Coffee or tea? 

Coffee

Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream?

Vanilla

What are 4 things you never leave home without? 

iPad, cell phone, sunglasses and lipstick

Sleep in or get up early?

I wish I could sleep in.

Laptop or desktop for writing? 

Laptop

Your favorite gadget - 

iPad

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing? 

Anywhere and everywhere I can. 
 
If you were deserted on an island, who are 3 famous people you would want with you? 

Bobby Flay (someone has to cook), Dianne Sawyer (because she is awesome), and
Ryan Gosling (shirtless, of course)

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday?

Greece

One of your favorite quotes -

"Write drunk, edit sober"  -- Ernest Hemmingway
 
List  3 books you’ve recently read and would recommend? 

Vain, Fisher Amelie
Dirty Red, Taryn Fisher
Ten Tiny Breaths, K.A. Tucker

List 3 of your favorite movies? 

Steel Magnolias, A Time to Kill, and Fight Club

An actor or a book character you have a crush on?

Ryan Gosling

What is a movie or TV show that you watched just recently and really enjoyed?  

I'm obsessed with Scandal.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? 

I'm a big believer in readers creating their own cast, but here is mine:

Stella- Missy Peregrym
Patrick- Jesse Williams
Jamie-Taylor Kitsch 
George-  Nick Wechsler or Taylor Kinney
Millie- Candice Accola
Jesse - Devin Thomas

Where can your readers stalk you? 

My blog/website: www.rlgriffinauthor.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/rlgriffinbyathread
 Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17560280-by-a-thread
 Twitter:
 @rlgriffinauthor
 
Links to your book(s):
 
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BT08Y8U