What's Going On in 2015?

   Hello lovelies,

   So here we are. It's officially three days into 2015 and it still feels unreal. (It's also my birthday month so there's that). But anyway, I thought I'd take a minute and just do an overview of my year for you. Here's the thing. I'm not big on resolutions and such, but I am big on goals. Especially writing and reading goals. I always try to push myself a little bit farther, and last year I definitely did that by publishing 3 books. 3 BOOKS! That's insane (at least to me). But this year, I want to do better. Not just for myself, but for my readers.

   Now, this is just a tentative list of goals and ideas of goals. Not all of these will be met, but that is okay. I shall try.

   Reading:

       100 books!

   I failed last year by only reading 86. Writing more books this year it will be harder for me to read more, but I shall try.

   Writing:

        Falling, Book 3 - yes, you all have been patiently waiting for Jackson's story and it will happen this year.

        Titanium, Book 2 - this one will probably be the first one to be published, but that still won't be till a bit later.

        Titanium, Book 3 - right now, it's a trilogy. So book 3 should be out by the end of the year.

        New UF YA series, Book 1 - I have a huge plan for this new series and I will have, at least, information on it by the middle of the year.

Holy Batman and Robin, right? 

  Art/Photography:
 
       I will be posting a lot more artwork and photos this year, because I want to be better at documenting my life through pictures.

   Well, I think that's it. At least for now. I have some other goals as well, but these are my priority, so it's the ones I'm sharing with you.

I might later on tho...

    Before I go, I wanted to take a moment and thank each and every single one of you who have supported me this last year (and years before). You are what allows me to continue on this journey and I am truly blessed to have such awesome fans!

   I would to hear what you have planned for this year, so let me know!

   Happy New Year!

   Much love,
   Valia

On reorganizing your life...and bookshelves

Hello lovelies, 

   You all know I have a book coming out (if I haven't freaked out over that enough). As the date looms closer, I keep rethinking over everything I've done up to this point. 

   Will it be enough? 
   Did I write the best book I could've? 
   Are decisions I'm making what they need to be? 
   It's stressful.

   I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Some of you have published, so you know. Some of you have read hundredths of posts from those who have published, so you know. 
I definitely fall into the post reading category. I need all the knowledge I can get. I love the fact that there are so many resources out there and if you take your time in researching them out, you can gleam some helpful insights. 

(Side note: I've seen my working cover and OMW IT'S BEAUTIFUL)

   But while I'm doing all of that researching and planning, I realized that I've been neglecting myself a little bit. I know, big shocker there, right? An author (or any individual really) who's making big changes in his or her life actually concentrating more on the project than on themselves? Oh the horrors. 

Well, maybe not horrors, but you know what I mean. So while I'm working hard at this huge endeavor, I decided to reorganize some things in my life. 

     1. My bookshelf.
              I know this doesn't seem like much to some people, but my shelves were a mess. I honestly think it added to the stress level, every time I came into my little office to work. So the other day, I took four hours away from my craft and made my shelves pretty. I cannot tell you how cathartic it was. Surprisingly so. But look how pretty they are now! 

     2. My TBR. 
              This goes along the lines of my bookshelf reorganization. I needed to reevaluate which books I wanted to read versus those I felt like I had to. The thing is, it really helped to put things in perspective. I also am participating (kind of) in the #AYearAThon on YouTube. Which means, right now, I'm working my way through Harry Potter. For the first time. GASP. I know. 
               Here are just some of the books on my list for this month. 

  

     3. My writing goals. 
               This is obviously a huge one for me. As part of #WriterRecharge, I decided to give myself a 2K goal for each day. 1K for one project and 1K for the other. It may not be a lot for some, but with all the pre-publishing crazy, this is a huge goal for me. 

     4. My blog. 
                This is kind of where this post comes into play. I have some unfinished pages on this website and I really want to utilize it to the best of my ability. So, I decided to finally update some things on here. One of the main ones is the FAQ's page. This is where you come in. 
If you guys have any questions for me, leave them below and I'll post them on my website. 

   Well, that's it for now. I feel like I've rambled on long enough. How is everyone doing? If you're interested in participating in the cover reveal, you still have time to sign up: http://valialind.blogspot.com/2014/01/cover-reveal-sign-up.html 

Hugs, 

Valia 

Giveaway. Giveaway time.

Hello lovelies,

As you can tell by the super clever title of this blog post, I have a giveaway for you! I know, it's about time. Really. I also know that I haven't been keeping you as updated on the ways of my life, so since I'm offering up some goodies, please forgive me? :)
Now, before I show you the awesome, let's do some quick updates.
1. If you haven't seen it yet, I've finally opened up the Etsy shop everyone's been asking about. There's only a few things in it for now, but I'll continue to add to it. I'd love for you guys to check it out. What do you think? https://www.etsy.com/shop/StainedFingertips 

2. Speaking of projects, here's a glimpse into the new SmashBook I've started. I'm going for elegence and fun.

3. The new WIP is still coming along nicely. I'm trying something new and having a blast with it. Can't wait to share it with you. For now though, all you get is this picture. Aren't you curious? :)

4. And after we talk about writing, we need to talk about music. Here are a few songs that've been stuck in my head lately. Any songs  you've been obsessed with lately? 



5. And to wrap this up, here's a few books I've read lately that I've really enjoyed. 

  

What are you reading? :) 
Now, you ready for the giveaway? Did you even read the updates or were you too excited? Who can blame you, this giveaway is awesome.
Okay, okay. I'll stop with the teasing.
First of all, you guys remember how much I enjoy Jennifer Archer's writing? Well, the lovely lady has a new book out, Shadow Girl, and I have a signed copy just for you!
If you guys haven't read the amazing Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins yet, or The Collector by Victoria Scott, you get an ebook of that.
Basically, follow me and spread the word!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks lovelies for all your love and support! Now go and enter!

Hugs,

Valia

Second Book Syndrome

So I've been trying to catch up on some reading lately. My TBR pile is seriously taken over my life, so it's a work in progress. But there is something that I've noticed in recent books that I kind of wanted to discuss here. 

Relationships in sequels. 

Here's a thing I've noticed. I like first books. The fresh perspective. That first discovery of the characters and the world they live in. I especially love the struggle that the two main characters go through when it comes to discovering who they are together. You know what I'm talking about. That chemistry, that spark that ignites, the woes of the "can we be together?" When it's done right that is. I'm not big on the whole insta-love aspect, I really don't think that's plausible, so forgive me for the skepticism. I love it when the characters develop as individuals before they become anything close to being a couple. 
There are a few examples of this that I really love. If you've been following me for any length of time, I'm sure you've seen me freak out over these books before. 

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett. You remember my love for this book right? One of the huge aspects of that was the fun and realistic development of the characters. It was about discovering who they are, and becoming better versions of themselves. There's just so much here, I don't even know what to say. Just read it people, if you haven't already. I can't wait to see what happens in book two. 

Another good example of this type of relationship is Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. I loved this book to pieces and I loved Anna and Kaidan's relationship. I enjoyed how honest they were with each other, the obstacles they have to go through every step of the way. And when the book ended, you still have no idea what is going on between those two. 

The Assassin's Curse duology is a great example of focusing on the story versus the romance aspect of it. I've actually read book two already and there's just so much I want to say about it! Must restrain myself! The relationship between Ananna and Naji was fun and real. Never could they ever imagine the journey that they must take and it's one great adventure. 

Now, minus the Assassin's Curse, I haven't read the second books in the other series. And here's where the fear comes in. Sometimes when characters get together, the tension and excitement falls off. I've noticed this in a lot of the second books I've been reading. Honestly, I don't see this happening with these books and I think mainly it is because the relationships are not the typical ones we've grown so used to. Serious kuddos to Mindee, Wendy, and Cassandra that's for sure! 

So what do you think? Do you have the same "second book" fear when it comes to books? 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Road Trip Wednesday: Check in - Writing/Reading Goals!

Hello lovelies, 

     So I saw the Road Trip topic for this week and I realized, this is a mighty fine question and one that needs to be answered. 

     This Week's Topic: Quarterly check-ins! We're already 1/4 of the way through the year--where are you on your reading and writing goals?

     This Week's Road Trip Song: Tonight I'm Getting Over You by Carly Rae Jepsen (because I'm slightly obsessed with this jewel at the moment). 

     Let's talk writing goals. Seriously, I may need an intervention, or whatnot, when it comes to this particular topic. I need to stop staring projects! My head is just overflowing with ideas and I seemed to have to get them all on paper at the same time. 

     How crazy am I? (Don't answer that.)

     But seriously, I have two distinct WIP's on my plate right now and I decided that I'm going to work on both of them. 

     At the same time. Que the screaming and the hollering. 

     I know I'm probably taking too much on (especially considering my work madness) but I want to give it a try. One is a magical kind of a story and one is an adventure suspense. I'm having too much fun with both of these at the moment and I'm hoping I don't go stark raving mad and actually finish both.

     Now, let's talk about reading goals. Mostly, right now, I just want to make sure I'm reading. I know that's not much of a goal, maybe, but sometimes, when I'm in the middle of a story, I forget the part where I NEED to read. Reading makes me a better writer. Reading makes me think. Reading is just all together a good brain exercise. I have read 19 books to date and I kind of love that. I'm hoping I'll keep up. 

    So what about you? Where are you on your reading/writing goals? 

     I'd love to hear all about it!

     Much love, 

     Valia 

Road Trip Wednesday: Favorite Required Reading Book

Hello darlings, 

So this week I decided that I'm going to participate in the Road Trip Wednesday over at YA Highway blog. There's some talented people over there, so I highly suggest you head over there and check them out. But wait, you have to read this post first! 

This Week's Topic is: Back to school time! What's your favorite book that you had to read for a class?

My Road Trip Song of the Week: Here With You by Asher Monroe 

Honestly, this is kind of a hard question because I loved many of the books I had to read. While Jane Austen remains my favorite, I have to say that she wasn't the favorite I read in high school. If I had to choose one book I think I have to go with 1984 by George Orwell (either that or Catcher in the Rye). 

Most people wouldn't choose 1984 as a favorite book read, but for me it was definitely an experience. Besides steampunk of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, 1984 was probably the first book I read that had dystopian attributes. I know Verne and Wells are not dystopian, but they wrote about worlds that were different and I read pretty much everything by them. 1984 was a different experience. it was a book that opened up a world that very well could be outside my doors. It's creepy to read about cameras on the streets as Big Brother watching and realize that there are places around here that have that. 
I'm not going to lie, it was a hard book to read. At times, I wanted to put it down and never come back to it. But in the 
end, I was thankful it was part of my reading list. 


Now, what about you? Do you have a favorite book you had to read in class?

Until next time! Have a great day!
Valia