BIG NEWS

Heya, lovelies!

First off, I want to apologize for all my indecisiveness. I've always been awful at making decisions, but I like to think this one is coming from the heart! I was so proud of the first published Twisted moreso because I actually finished a book and published it! Now, however, when I compare it to my original idea it just isn't my story. I feel like I've rewritten it entirely, and I guess I was so caught up with finishing it and getting it out there that I forgot the most important thing about writing - is writing what you love.

And I love dark stories!

Also, with the poll I set up last night, and all the response I got in emails and DMs on Twitter, well, to be frank, not one person preferred the published version over the fanfic. Thus, clearly, the people have spoken!

I've made the decision to take the 1st published version down, and around late Fall or the beginning of Winter, put up the new/old version of Twisted, which I can earnestly say that it is indeed the story of Twisted. For those who have read the fanfic - you know what that means.

I've got a manuscript partially written (I say partially written because looking at it, there's going to have to be some major tweaks with some scenes), so I'm going to have the edit the hell out of it, polish it up, and I will use the same cover for the print and Kindle version, but the summary will have to change, too!

But wait - there's more!

So I can't help but feel bad for those who've went out and bought the published version. I feel like in a way they bought a book that wasn't what they thought it was - so I've decided to have another month giveaway before the book comes out.

But here's the catch:

The giveaway will only apply to those who have either won a free book in the other giveaways, or bought their own. We will be using the twitter platform for this, and I will require you to post a photo of the book to prove that you did indeed buy it. I want to give those people a chance to have the REAL Twisted in their hands! More information regarding this will come out as the deadline approaches. But there are the basics for the time being!

I feel in my heart that this is more befitting - I just read the previous manuscript, and my heart swelled because of the characters, of which I changed a lot of in the published version. I can't sit idly by anymore. I know I won't be truly content until it's the Twisted that I know of, and only I know of that!

I'll keep ya'll updated as Fall approaches; my schedule is going to be pretty hectic as of next week - I'm moving into my new apartment, starting my new job the following week, and shortly starting classes again. So yes, I'll have my hands full, which is why I'm projecting it'll take months to have this out - realistically. Anyhow, I hope everyone's having an amazing day! Happy reading!

Love,
Sarah

Readers of Twisted PLEASE READ

Heya, lovelies!

So, I'm going to put everything on the table right now.

I re-read Twisted as the fanfic and...it's troubling me how much I changed the published version - not only the plot, but the characters as well. I felt pressured to enact a lot of changes to avoid cliches, but I've been thinking...the characters in the fic made the story. And now that they're gone, it just...

It doesn't feel like the same Twisted.

July 2015, I had completed a manuscript that was based on the fanfic - and I mean everything was based. I just rewrote the scenes to patch everything up, correcting details and whatnot. But it was Twisted. I stumbled upon that tonight and feel even more torn because come on, the fanfic was a hundred times darker than the new one. I'm starting to wonder that I was so focused on appealing to a newer audience rather than keeping what I loved: a good dark story. 

Anyhow, I'd like to see what other people think - and honestly, don't hold back. For those who've read the published version, or saw the differing summaries, did you like that one better than the fanfic? Or did you like the fanfic better? Here's the link to the poll: http://vote.pollcode.com/32228248

I'm considering pursuing the previous manuscript I had because truth be told, as a writer, I felt that it was more exciting to me. More earnest. But it's so easy to get caught up worrying about what audiences like - what they prefer. And though my writing often terrified people, it was my writing nonetheless, and what I loved to do.

It would mean a lot if you put in your input because, hey, in the end, depending on the poll and how I weigh my options, a truer story of Twisted may be out on Amazon.

Love ya'll,
Sarah

~Twisted

June 10, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

I hope everyone's having a great day (or night, for that matter). Anyhow, so for this month's giveaway I sadly had to cancel, for a few reasons. One, practicality. Through Amazon, it would be way too pricey for me to do their method of giveaways - and especially being midway through June, I just don't have the funds to do that. And secondly, the restrictions based on location I felt would leave a lot of people unable to participate, so I'm just going to wait until July to undergo another giveaway! As I said, I'm so sorry for having to cancel. I had gotten SO excited about doing another giveaway, but I hadn't realized how much it would cost in the long run and needless to say, I didn't think it was worth with the limitations and whatnot, unlike my last giveaways. Anyhow, love ya'll! xx

~Twisted

June 9, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So the giveaway will be starting tomorrow morning at 2 PM my time (here in Texas). I'll wake up early and count down until then, to keep everyone track of time and whatnot!

xx

June 8, 2016

~Twisted

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

PLEASE READ!

Okay, so along with an excerpt from Twisted, I have news I want to share with everyone! I'm really working to boost this month's sales, so in order to create a buzz, I've decided to do another giveaway - through Amazon! This will be a first-come first serve, where the 1st three will be the lucky winners of the print version of Twisted! This will be taking place THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 10th! SO IN TWO DAYS! However, the only downside is that entrants must be from the United States or District of Columbia.

As of now, I'm not 100% sure what time I'll open the giveaway, but I'll let ya'll know tomorrow! I'm so excited to do this - GAH! I absolutely love hearing that someone's won Twisted! Nothing better than a free book!

Q & A!

How old are you?

I’m twenty and turning twenty-one in roughly six more months!

Why do you write?

Because I love to write. Simple answer, I know, but sometimes things don’t necessarily need complicated reasons. We all do things that we love simply because they make us happy. Writing serves as many things for me—entertainment, a way to seek answers, an outlet from emotions, etc. Coincidentally, it’s almost the most frustrating thing in the entire world, but I’ve never stopped loving to do it.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I’m not quite sure how old I was, but I was younger than a ‘teen.’ It was in December, days before Christmas. Probably when I was helping my mother bake cookies for Santa Clause. I realized that having been to so many houses, Santa may get sick of eating cookies—he may even get a tummy ache. So I got an idea. I got some pieces of paper, a pencil, and wrote the story of Santa Clause (my own version, which was different than others). I even drew illustrations on each page. After I finished, I stapled the edges of the pages together and set it beneath the cookies we laid out for him. When I awoke the next morning, my story I wrote for Santa, along with the cookies, was gone!

What does your family think of your writing?

When I first told my father that I wanted to pursue an English degree, he wasn’t too excited. Everyone knows English is iffy when it comes to employment, unless you want to teach. However, my family has always been thrilled with me writing. My mother is actually someone who constantly inspires me, even to this day. I like to say she’s the original storyteller of the family, and her love for writing and literature in general really rubbed off on me. But when it came to publishing Twisted, I had many talks with my father, to gain his insight on the business aspect of it. I’m not sure he took me very seriously until one day, I came home with the print version to show him—and then it became real. He instantly took a picture of me, sent it to my grandparents, and now, every time we meet someone, my father likes to declare that I’m an international author—thanks to Amazon and how they distribute. It’s cool how parallel our lives have been, between my father and I. Years ago, he started a fracking company here in Texas, and here I am, self-publishing my book. Months ago, when I was teetering on the edge of indie publishing or traditional, I came to him for advice, and he said the indie route will be risky, but if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, you can make anything happen. On the contrary, I’ve always written darker themes, with sometimes sexual content, I guess you can say. My mother has only read the beginning of Twisted, but she’s afraid of reading more because she knows that I’ve written smut in my stories before. Hence, my father hasn’t read it either. I suppose it would be weird as a parent, to read a book of your daughters that has sexual content. Very funny!

Which writers inspire you?

Sarah Dessen, Robert Frost, John Steinbeck, Mary Shelley, Ellen Hopkins, Mark Twain, M.M Kin, John Green, Rick Yancey, and Alexandra Adornetto.

Give us an insight into Claire. What does she do that is so special?

I think what makes Claire so ‘special’ is how ordinary she is. I myself can relate to a lot of her qualities, especially what she loves to do—baking. In contrast to Heath, who tends to bury his feelings, Claire embraces them. She craves happiness and love, and she strives to see the good in people. This may be seen as naïve or ignorant, but I think they can definitely be strengths. As a character, I tried to make her relatable to readers—she isn’t always brave enough to do what is deemed ‘right,’ but she can recognize mistakes she makes; she can be stubborn at times when she needs to let go; she’s like every human, with both strengths and faults. Needless to say, I tried to not make her a Mary Sue character, and I can sleep at night, knowing I did my best!

Which actress would you like to see playing Claire?

My answer is still the same as when Twisted was a fanfiction. Rachel McAdams would be the perfect portrayal of Claire Manson, in my opinion. She’s exactly how I envision her!

Why did you choose to set Twisted in England, rather than the USA, your native country?

The fanfiction was set in London, but when I was beginning the original piece, I immediately thought of setting it here in the states only because I haven’t got much experience in England. I felt like it would be more accurate to write about things I knew. But last summer, I had the amazing opportunity of travelling to London and Ireland for a study abroad program, and I fell in love! I wanted to write in a different environment than where I was—I wanted to do research to do it as well. I’ve always been fascinated with cultures other than my own, so by doing this with Twisted, I fell in line with Claire Manson in the sense that I, too, was in a place I wasn’t used to, just not as extreme, per say, as her circumstance was. Sometimes, research behind stories are the best part of writing! It took a lot more effort and consideration, but it made the adventure so much more interesting.

What genre are your books?

Typically, I write romance. Now the kind of romance differs, but it’s mostly fiction and contemporary. I’ve recently been exploring fantasy mixed with sci-fi, but I always do love contemporary. There’s something challenging yet natural about finding joy in the ordinary.

What do you think makes a good story?

A ‘good’ story can be subjected to the readers. To me personally, you can have an amazing story, but if you don’t have amazing characters to go along with it, then it doesn’t work. One of my favorite things about a story is usually the characters. Thus as a writer, one of the most important things I stress is characterization. This is why when books are adapted into motion pictures, I often (not always, mind you) get turned off because they tend to focus more so on effects rather than the story or characters. Some of the best adaptions I’ve seen have poor effects, or little at all, but the acting, characters, and story are there, so it definitely makes up for it.

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

As of now, I like to write as soon as I wake up in the morning. I generally make myself a cup of coffee, sit down, and spend about half an hour, or more, working on my current project. I try not to force myself to write too much, or else things get muddled. But if I write something each day, at the beginning of each day, I’ll certainly have something to work within a couple of months or so, and I figure that’s better than rushing and having nothing at all.

Where do your ideas come from?

Oh—so many places! Sometimes, I incorporate a part of me into each story I write, though I usually add a twist or so with it. It’s not that I constantly search for inspiration in my life, it’s just that I sometimes take experiences and use them for the better. For me, my ideas are spontaneous, they can hit me anywhere, which is usually why I keep my journal in my car, or my cellphone always handy, just in case I need to jot something in my notes. Usually, story ideas hit me in images, like a vivid, flashing movie. And from those, I build on the circumstances and the characters. Sometimes I can think about an idea, on and off, for days, maybe even months, before I decide to either pursue it or focus on something else.

What is the hardest thing about writing?

Finishing whatever it is you’re working on—in my case, a book. I may get halfway through it and have a new idea strike me, and then I’ll be inspired to start on that. It’s so easy for me to lose track of my stories—you’d know this if you’ve read my fanfics because this happened all the time. But this summer I’m strictly focusing on two projects, and I’m determined to not start the 2^nd one until I finish writing the first one. Hopefully, I stick to that!

Do you ever get writer’s Block?

Oh yes, all the time! I can’t imagine never getting it.

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

Write anything! Back in high school, I used to RP with people, which is kind of like improvised writing, so it doesn’t take deep thought or consideration or planning, so that always helped. Now, I just take a break, write some journals. The key is to never stop writing, though. You should always be writing—whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Just write. I cannot stress that enough.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

Ahh, hard question! I have hundreds of ebooks on my Nook over the past couple of years, but to me, it’s not the same as holding a new, or old, printed book. Just smelling the pages (sorry if that’s creepy), being able to physically hold the book—I’m not sure what it is, it just makes it more real to me, and makes me appreciate it more. Ebooks are way more convenient, and the major downside of a physical book I can think of is having so many, having already read, and having them just sit there, rotting. I have a lot of books in my childhood room that have been there for years. Sometimes I’ll go back and read them, but I feel bad because they should be being read, you know? I’ve been wanting to turn them into Half Priced Books, but I keep forgetting. Anyhow, I’d really like reading printed books—so long as they don’t just rot there when I finish!

Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?

I used to have a terrible habit of editing my writing along the way of, well, writing it. I’d write a chapter and then immediately go back and edit it. I’ve learned that in the writing process, this really stops me from finishing anything. I’ll obsessively go back and critically wonder if the direction of my book is right, if what I’ve written is trash or not, and so on. I’ve learned to just write and come back to editing later—I mean, that is what editing is for, right? First, I do most of the editing. But I can’t catch all my mistakes—that’s impossible! Especially with content. I’ll normally turn to my Simon Cowell of a sister to critique my writing, and then I’ll usually ask fellow authors, people who won’t be afraid of telling me the truth. Editing is a crucial part of writing, and you can’t be afraid of getting your writing out there! Without critique, your story may not improve to its full potential.

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Oh, it definitely does! Despite the notion of don’t judge a book by its cover, well, I can disagree in the marketing sense of books. At first glance, a book cover is all one gets. I’ve seen amazing covers and have picked up the book just because it’s piqued my interest. But at the same time, I’ve read amazing books with meh covers. Covers may not necessarily reflect the content, but they should be taken into high consideration by the author because writers can be picky. It’s just reality.

What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

Some of the advantages of self publishing is one, you don’t have a long wait because you decide when you want to publish it—and that can be in a single day, if you want to. You don’t have to send a manuscript to a company and wait months to hear an approval or rejection. You don’t have to wait even more months for your book to finally go on the bookshelf. Furthermore, you have total control. You choose what book cover better suits your book, you choose the price, you choose the distribution—and the downside goes hand in hand with this because you publicize it. With self publishing, you are the publisher. With a lot of writers, this can be terrifying because in the world of publishing nowadays, it is very cut throat, and there is tons of competition. It’s very difficult to separate your story from thousands of others. Big publishing companies usually already have reputations established, whereas you, an indie writer, don’t. With the traditional route, you have a whole board of hired professionals to make your book the best it can be on the market. They most likely know more than you do on what sells, what target your audience should be, and so forth. Along with the creative side of publishing, there’s also a business side—and that cannot be avoided. The reason I leaned towards indie publishing for Twisted is because I knew I already had people who would buy it, so I figured if I worked hard enough, did my research, I could expand on that. And surprisingly, that’s working so far! And that goes back to another advantage of indie publishing—you can leave your book out there on the market for as long as you want, I guess depending on where you sell it. Through Amazon, though, that can be forever. So I can be constantly improving my sales. Whereas with the traditional route, they can choose when to take your book down, if it’s doing poorly. It’s a difficult fork in the road, between indie and traditional, and it takes lot of time and consideration. It definitely shouldn’t be something that is quickly decided!

Where can you see yourself in 5 years time?

As a high school English teacher, having published another book!

____

Website: http://sreeves28.wix.com/officialsite

Blog: lovefreelylovedeeply.blogspot.com (and for Twisted) twistedunstableseries.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmreeves/?fref=nf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15201282.Sarah_Reeves

June 4, 2016

~Twisted

Excerpt from Twisted

June 2, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

Long time no post, huh?

I just got back from vacation, it was really nice to get away for a bit. I've already begun on another writing project - a new story that I hope to finish in a month or so, for the first draft. I haven't started on Unstable yet, but I do plan on doing that sometime this summer!

This past month has been pretty hard on me - long story short, I had a pregnancy scare, so that's been weighing pretty heavily on my mind. Luckily things panned out for the better (I'M NOT PREGNANT) so with a calmer mind, I can get back to writing! I will also be travelling a bit this summer to see family and friends, so I'll be keeping my journal with me to continue working on writing projects!

As for the sales for Twisted, things are still going much better than I had expected, so that's amazing! As for June, though, I'm aiming to do better than I did in May, so I'm pretty stoked for that! Please keep sharing your thoughts on the book if you've bought it, and please leave a rating or a review on Amazon if you finish - it really helps with marketing!

Anyway, so I'll keep ya'll updated with Unstable along the way of working on it! I hope everyone's having a great day! Love ya'll! :)

-Sarah

May 4, 2016

April 28, 2016

So far sales are looking great for Twisted! I do hope to market the book more and reach more audiences, but I'm so excited this is already out in the air. There's a book festival taking place in Austin, at October, so I have 'till June to submit my book. Therefore, as of now, my greatest priority is building my book's legitimacy, as in reviews and feedback.

I am so happy for those who are posting their purchased Twisted books on Twitter and sharing it with me! If you do receive the printed book, or even an ebook, I'd like to see a photo of it because it sure as hell spreads the fun!! I've already posted my photo to share, with my book! Hahaha.

Anyhow, I hope everyone's having a great week. I've already began working on another story, but I'm going old school and am going to start off handwriting it just whenever I have time, so there's no rush to completion or anything. So we'll see where that goes. I haven't, however, started on Unstable yet. I'm going to have to take a break from the story altogether, to bring my thoughts back, as well as my creative juice, if you can say.

Happy reading/writing!

Much love,
Sarah

So much effort, time, tears, stress, and above all, love was put into this book I hold...I am truly blessed for all the love and support I received for embarking on this literary journey. For all the people who uplifted me when I had doubts, it's finally here, and it's the first of many yet to come.

This is only the beginning!

Excerpt from Twisted:

Another excerpt from Twisted!

Oh, by the way! Ya'll should check me out on goodreads! I finally got an account! Add me so we can become friends and discover new books to read and whatnot! :) 

April 19, 2016

Excerpt from Twisted , chapter 22:

Twisted now available for PRINT!

Hiya lovelies!

I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately, my life has gotten crazy busy again! I've been waiting for an email from createspace to tell me when Twisted was available, but after not hearing anything, I checked on the website and BAM! It is available! I guess they don't notify you on that, like Amazon Kindle did!

Anyhow.

If you'd like to buy the printed version of the book, you can buy it here! If you'd like to buy an ebook, you can find it here! The prices are listed on the site, and I ask ya'll from the bottom of my heart, when or if you finish reading the book, PLEASE leave a review, where it provides space to leave reviews and whatnot at the bottom of the webpage with my book summary. Gathering reviews will build my reputation, as a published author, so it'll mean a lot to me if you take the time to do that!

Anyhow, I hope everyone is having a lovely day! :)
Much love,
Sarah

1 DAY 'TILL TWISTED

Hiya, lovelies!

So tomorrow is the official publish of Twisted!! I received proofs for the print formats last night, or technically this morning, at 2 AM, but sadly, there was one thing wrong, so I have to wait a few more days for Amazon to return the proofs again with the edits and let me approve them. Hopefully there aren't any more mistakes this time around so print on demand can happen next week!

I'll keep ya'll updated on that! So excited to share Twisted with ya'll tomorrow!!

:D
:D
:D

Much love,
Sarah xx

Print Cover Formatting!

Yo lovelies!

So Dane sent in the print formats but didn't have time to update the description, so I'm just waiting for that now before I upload everything on Createspace.

I'm not sure if I'll have everything completely ready by this Friday, as I'd like to proof the books before they get sent out - I want to make sure everything looks nice and whatnot.

Anyhow, Dane is from ebooklaunch.com and I was so lucky to have him as a cover designer! He's inquisitive, so creative, and very caring when it comes to creating you, the author's, book cover. If you're an indie author looking for a cover artist, I strongly suggest ebooklaunch.com and their team of artists! I haven't tried their other services, but they also do formatting and interior design, as well as editing. Just an FYI!

And here's the print design cover (with the unedited description lmao):

TWISTED OUT FOR PRE-ORDER (Amazon Kindle)

Hey lovelies!

So there are FOUR MORE DAYS until the official publication date for Twisted! I've wrapped up with all the formatting for the ebooks, though I'm selling exclusively to Amazon for 90 days before putting it up on Nook, but as of now you can Pre-Order it so it will automatically be sent to your device when it does come out!

The nerves are out of wire for me - I keep checking everything, over and over, to make sure the final product is 100% complete and correct. Hopefully it is by the time Friday comes! I'm so so nervous but ultimately excited - and seeing the cover on Amazon is giving me serious goosebumps! I can't believe the time is already here!

This has been one hell of a journey, talk about hands on learning. Some of the most difficult things arrived lately, which is why I haven't been able to post count-downs or anything. Formatting was a bitch (by the way, Indesign is so much easier than Microsoft Word when it comes to print design, just saying), skim-editing was cringe-worthy, and altogether the nerves I'm feeling, constantly, about whether this work is good enough or not is making me lose tons of sleep. But it's exhilarating, going out of my comfort zone, and I'm so ready to share this story with the world!

So, again, I want to offer a big massive thanks to all my readers who have encouraged me to take this leap and have stuck with me from the beginning - being December 27th, 2012 when I first uploaded Twisted as a fanfiction. Argh, and now I'm tearing up!

Here's where you can pre-order Twisted - for the Kindle, ebook. I'm still pulling everything together with the printers for the print version, so that may have to wait - hopefully I can finish everything by the publishing date, or close afterwards. I know I said I'd only publish the ebook format, but I decided to print a few, for those who prefer reading printed books or don't have applications for ebooks.

Anyhow, hope ya'll are having a lovely day!

Much, much love,
Sarah Reeves

March 24, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

Long time no see, aye!

Well, I never thought it would be so difficult writing a descriptive summary for your book, but it was one of the most difficult things in my journey of writing Twisted. Needless to say, I've got a strong draft as of now and will run it by some people, to receive edits and gather thoughts on it. I'm hoping to have everything 'turned in' by this weekend, so I can have a few days before the publication and make sure everything is top notch!

JUST 8 DAYS THOUGH, GUYS! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I SURE CAN'T.

Although I'm at the point where I'm not even sure if what I'm writing is interesting or not - it's a mini crisis, one I'll hopefully endure, but I always experience this kind of thing when I finish writing a book. Or, in this case, undergo so much editing *-* I haven't even started on Unstable yet, though I hope to have that written either by the end of summer, or sometime in the Fall.

Anyhow, just an update to what's going on. The date is still April 1st, next Friday. I'm coming to contact with the winners of the February giveaways to send their books over - all good, good. I hope everyone's having a wonderful day! If you have any questions, hit me up on Twitter @SmilinForYa

:)

Love,
Sarah xx

March 12, 2015

Hiya, lovelies!

So, I've got some bad news.

Remember when I announced that the estimated publishing date was on March the 20th?

Well, that's going to have to be pushed back a bit. I've been living and breathing editing, but with the pressure of a deadline quickly approaching, I feel like I'm not giving the time needed to really focus on what needs to be changed/fixed. And also, today marks the first day of Spring Break from school, and until Tuesday, I won't be able to get back on my computer because I'm visiting family, and to top it off, I'm not even finished with the developmental edits for the manuscript, though I'm so close.

So nevertheless, here's the official publishing date:

April 1st

I know for a fact this is the perfect amount of time - it might even be too much time, but I'd rather have that than too little. Anyhow, so the new publishing date is April 1st. I'm going to be getting into contact with the winners of the February giveaways around the 20th of March so I can have everything together by the time April comes around, for them to receive their books.

I'm really sorry for the delay, but I only want the finished product to be the best it can be. I hope ya'll understand!

Much, much love,
Sarah xx

March 1, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So fantastic news!

Lauren, my wonderful editor, sent in the full edits for Twisted this morning, two days before the due date! So clearly because she's on top of her game, I get a head start to begin implementing the edits onto the new draft and get ready for publication!

I literally woke up this morning with her email, and it was like Christmas all over again! I'm so anxious to get started for publication! But for this round of edits, I'm probably going to print out the chapters separately and edit them manually; there's something different about seeing it in print form than on a computer screen - I always seem to catch more!

But anyhow, I hope everyone enjoyed their leap day yesterday. Me being me, I didn't even know it was leap day, so I had nothing extraordinary planned. In fact, I spent the majority of my time cleaning...and trying to complete the first chapter of Unstable without trashing it. I'm having such a problem with finishing it - I've rewritten it four times now and can't seem to find the right beginning. Oh, well. I'll have to be patient and let it come to me. And that's the beautifully frustrating thing about writing: you can never force it!

Also, as for publication, I am planning now to print a few books because I've noticed a lot of people would rather have the print format than the ebook, so I wouldn't want to restrict people based on that. So when it does come out on March the 20th, you can also buy the print, as well as the ebook!

Lots of love,
Sarah

February 26, 2015

Hiya, lovelies!

So after making some breakfast buns, I drew the winner of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY4 !

And the winner is...

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The winner is @Hadjer_Me !! Congrats on winning, darlin! I really hope you like the original version of Twisted. I'm so so excited to send it your way, but alas, we've still got little over a month until the publication date. But I'll get into contact with you when the time grows closer, so I can make sure you get the book!

Anyhow, thank you all so much for participating in February's giveaway! I was a bit nervous at first because I had no idea what the response I'd have, but I was surprised, in the good way, at the response I did get! 

The winners for the February giveaways are, just to clarify:

@lenka_n130

@Mrsapplecake

@Wild3Flow3r

@Hadjer_Me

I will keep ya'll updated as time grows closer to publication! As for now, I hope everyone is having a lovely day!

Much love,

Sarah

February 25, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So as you probably already know, this is the last day for the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY4 before I choose the winner, tomorrow. I've compiled the masterlist of the entries thus far; if I've written your username incorrectly, PLEASE tell me ASAP so I can correct it, and if you're entry isn't here even though you did enter, please let me know so I can include it! If you haven't sent in your entry, I suggest doing it ASAP if you'd like to win Twisted for free, printed, when it gets published on March 20th.

Here's the master list:

@ZylanOMalik
@burrnindesire
@Hadjer_Me
@infiniharrry
@lowestyles
@harithaperayil
@Sarahmcguirk96
@happilydefense
@HIWWAstyles
@Jess_lee_28
@nutcrackerhs
@robstenslove
@rocketcher
@kawarry
@_MiaG
@marikaguzek
@zouzouzayn

As I mentioned above, let me know if I messed up on anything or simply overlooked your name - I am human, I do tend to make mistakes! So don't hesitate to get a hold of me!

Hope ya'll are having a lovely day!

Love,
Sarah

February 21, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So today marks the beginning of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY4 ! This will be the final chance for you to win Twisted for free when it gets published, so send in your entries now!

Also, just FYI, there are 28 days left 'till it does get published! So just about a month - CAN YOU FEEL MY EXCITEMENT BECAUSE I ALMOST CAN'T CONTAIN MYSELF BY NOW! I also will receive my final edits on the 3rd of March, so I'm very eager to receive that so I can wrap everything up for the story!

And these are just old Clarry photos I stumbled upon...I'm trying to come up with the new ship name - Cleath? Hlaire? Gosh I'm so bad at this, maybe ya'll will be a bit more creative and come up with something much better! XD 

Anyhow, send in your entries - I select the winner randomly, so everyone has a fair chance of winning! I leave it entirely up to the universe to choose, so why not try huh? I hope ya'll are having a lovely day!

Love,

Sarah

February 19, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So five minutes ago I had just drew the winner of #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY3 ! As ya'll already know, the 4th and FINAL giveaway will take place this Sunday. So that will be your final chance to win a free Twisted book when it gets published on March 20!

Anyhow, the winner of the 3rd giveaway is....

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@Wild3Flow3r !! Congrats, lovely! Thank you so much for entering the giveaway! I really hope you enjoy the book when you get it - I'll get a hold of you when the publication date gets closer, to gather more info about shipping and whatnot! 

As I said before, the last giveaway will begin this Sunday, so keep an eye out for it!! Can't believe time is going by so quickly - let the excitement begin!! 

Love,

Sarah

February 18, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

As ya'll know, today is the last day of the giveaway, and I will announce the winner tomorrow! Now is your last chance to enter, so DO IT!

As for the giveaway, here's the masterlist I have thus far:

@robstenslove
@Wild3Flow3r
@ZylanOMalik
@burrnindesire
@Hadjer_Me
@infiniharrry
@lowestyles
@harithaperayil
@zouzouzayn
@anisyacob
@rocketcher
@happilydefense
@kawarry
@Renca99
@bubbletea113
@sosodesj

Please let me know if I've missed your name or simply wrote your name wrong! I want to make sure I've got everyone and whatnot! I hope ya'll are having a wonderful Thursday!

Love,
Sarah

February 17, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

Sorry for not posting a whole lot - this week has been, well, hell for me with school, and my work schedule has been UGH! Not so helpful. I'm not even halfway into this school semester, and I'm already counting down the days 'till summer vacation! 

Anyhow.

This is the 3rd day of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY3 so evidently, it's not too late to enter! THERE ARE TWO DAYS LEFT! And next week will sadly be the last giveaway until the book is published (March 20). So if you want to be one of those two winners, enter now!

And speaking of book, I've recently began working on Unstable, the sequel to Twisted. I do not plan on making this a trilogy; it's just that I know what ending I want, but it requires two books to get there. A third book may just be too extensive - although, we'll have to see. Sometimes I have a dead set plan when writing, and sometimes, things may happen in the act of writing that come out totally unexpected. So who in the world knows! 

I hope everyone's having a great week and enjoying school! Love ya'll! 

Sarah

February 14, 2016

Hiya lovelies!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

Today is to celebrate love, whether it's with your boyfriend, your sister, your best friend, your dog, your cat....you. Don't be too hard on yourself; I remember in high school I used to get bummed when I never got a Valentines from a crush or secret admirer - I always thought Valentines was specifically for couples, but it's not! Spoil yourself, buy tons of chocolate (yum) and candy and watch your favorite movie, take yourself out on a date; or hang out with your absolute best friends, tell your parents you love 'em, snuggle with your cat!

But anyhow, along with it being Valentine's Day, it's also the first day of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY3 ! For those of you who don't know the drill, enter this now for an automatic chance to win Twisted for free, printed, when it gets published on March 20. Go on my facebook page and leave a comment anywhere including the hashtag, or go on twitter, tweet the hashtag and include my username @SmilinForYa so I may see it! The giveaway will end this Friday, and after that, there will sadly be only one more, so enter now to win!!

Love,

Sarah

February 12, 2016

Yo, lovelies!

So according to my calculations, there are 37 more days until the official publication date for #TWISTED! Wow! That's less than 38 days, huh? Hopefully nothing delays that, but I doubt anything will! I've started this project last August, so it's been half a year now, which in retrospect of how long it usually takes to complete a book isn't that long, but it's still 6 months, so.

Anyway! I'm sure ya'll are just waiting to see the winner of the 2nd giveaway - and there is a winner!

They are....
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*cue drum roll

The winner is @Mrsapplecake ! 

Congrats, lovely! I'm so very excited to send you the printed book, but alas, there's 37 more days to wait! I'm so thrilled and honored to share the story with you - I really hope you like it! And I will get into contact with you when the release date grows closer, so I can get the proper information to send the book your way!

The 3rd giveaway will begin in two days, this Sunday on the 14th of February. I honestly don't expect to see much of a response, since it's Valentines day, for whoever celebrates that. If you do celebrate it, I hope you spend the day with the people you love, or at least letting them know, or reminding them, how much you love them! As for me, I'm going to spoil the hell out of my mom and buy myself a ton of chocolate so I can watch Once Upon a Time and stuff my face silly! Haha! But the same rules will apply with this giveaway, since I seemed to have gotten a much bigger response by broadening the platforms for the entries. 

Much love,

Sarah

February 11, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So tomorrow will be the drawing of the winner for the 2nd #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY! I just wanted to make sure I have everyone's entries, so if you've sent yours and I missed it, please let me know as soon as possible so I can add you to the list! I'd hate to miss someone's!

Here's who I've got so far:

@harithaperayil
@kawarry
@pacificniall
@burnindesire
@Renca99
@bubbletea113
@lowestyles
@robstenlove
@nutcrackerhs
@julie_berries
@Jess_lee_28
@alrenjaurnandez
@Rose28Daggerxx 
@Mrsapplecake

And if you still want to join, submit your entry by tweeting, posting on my facebook page, or posting on instagram with the hashtag #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY2 and you'll automatically be entered to win! I'm probably going to announce the winner tomorrow around 3 PM, so stay updated for that!

Love,
Sarah

February 9, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

As you may already be aware of, today is the 2nd day of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY2 ! It's not too late of course to enter for a chance to win #TWISTED for FREE when it comes out March 20th! This is an exclusive offer, as I won't immediately be producing printed books until I reach a certain number of sales. So don't hesitate! What have you got to lose?

I have actually began writing Unstable, so there's also progress with that! I've decided not to touch Twisted until I receive the edits back from my editor, which'll be around March 3rd. So then I'd have a few weeks to revise everything before releasing it! 

And yes, the excitement is real!

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to have something of mine published. For Santa Clause one Christmas, I wrote and illustrated a book for him that I was so proud of (imagine my dismay when I found my book in my parent's closet the following year though, thus revealing the truth to me that Clause was in fact fictional). That was my first book I ever finished, believe it or not, and to this day this experience is so surreal, despite all the sweat and tears I've put into completing the manuscript. It surely has been a journey, but it's something I'd certainly do over again if I had to! And it's something I'd like to do for the rest of my life, is write stories. 

Anyhow, enough with the sentimental moment. As I said, enter the giveaway, there's still 3 days left! You very well might be the next winner! 

Love,

Sarah

February 7, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So I realized that having the giveaway strictly through twitter may limit some people from being able to enter, since not everyone has twitter.

So I've decided to broaden the horizon!

I know at one point of time, almost everyone had a facebook, so a while back I had created a page for my writing and whatnot on there!

And as for instagram, that's the hip and happenin' thing as of now.

So, this week's giveaway will take place with twitter, facebook, and instagram!

All you have to do is hashtag #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY2 (yeah I added the two, I know, how creative) and it would be more helpful for me to find your post if you include my username somewhat. With twitter, ya'll were good with including my username, so there's no issue there. But on facebook, all you have to do is like my page HERE and post a comment including the hashtag! For instagram, you can post a picture of the hashtag written on paper or something, or even post a cool picture of, say, Batman and all you have to do is include the hashtag in your summary or whatever of the photo you post! I'd prefer if you tagged me or included my username @scarah29 only because I'm not up to date with instagram, so I'm afraid I won't find everyone's entries just by looking through the hashtag. So I guess we'll see!

And if you use none of these, you can just shoot me an email at sreeves28@gmail.com !

Also, I thought it would be more helpful if the day before I choose the winner, Thursday, I post a list of all the people entered, just so someone can give me a heads up if I've missed their entry and whatnot!

But anyhow, the giveaway IS BEGINNING TODAY! TWEET, COMMENT ON FACEBOOK, OR GO THROUGH INSTAGRAM TO BE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED FOR RECEIVING TWISTED AS A PRINT BOOK WHEN IT FIRST BECOMES PUBLISHED!!

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful day!
Love,
Sarah

WINNER OF THE 1st #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY

Hiya, lovelies!

So today is the day I randomly chose a winner for the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY! I took a piece of paper, assigned everyone entered a number, wrote them down, cut them apart, then randomly picked!

And the 1st giveaways winner is....

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@lenka_n130 IS THE WINNER!!! CONGRATS BABE!!! <3 <3 <3 

SO EXCITED TO ALREADY GIVE YOU THE FREE BOOK BUT I MUST WAIT 'TILL IT'S ACTUALLY PUBLISHED! 

But I'll be getting a hold of you close to the publication date, March 20th, so I can send it your way and whatnot. So so excited! 

Another giveaway will be coming this Sunday, so ya'll will have another chance of entering for the free book! I'll announce the details then, but until then, I hope ya'll are having a lovely day! 

Love,

Sarah

January 3, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So this is day 3 of the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY and if you haven't already participated, I highly suggest you do because hey, it's super easy - all you have to do is tag my username, @SmilinForYa on twitter with the hashtag and BOOM! You're entered for a random chance to win a FREE book! I mean, who doesn't want a free book??

Alright, so I know lots of people who wouldn't be interested, but if you are, then why not give it a try!

I'm currently struggling with my classes at school - two online, which I initially thought would be a blessing but have turned out to be quite the opposite - and getting accustomed to having a job, which I recently acquired. It's nice to keep busy, but it's certainly a change I'm going to have to get used to!

I'm waiting for the final edits to come back from my editor, and in the meantime, am brainstorming on a last minute idea to implement into the book - I think ya'll will like it. It's not something I normally do, so you'll see what I mean when you...see it. I never did it often with my fics, and I was skeptical at the idea at first, but the more thought I gave it, the more I felt like my story needed - and once I started doing it, I just couldn't stop.

Story of my life.

One of my biggest struggles when 1st writing Twisted was the constant worry that it would be too long. Because of this, I was very careful of how much I wrote in a particular scene. But when I finished the book and realized how much shorter it was going to be when compared to Unstable, which as I said, will be MUCH longer than Twisted, I tried adding more to the word count but couldn't add much. When I first started writing the book, traditional publishing was still in mind, albeit skeptically, and Stephen King has stated often about new upcoming authors that their first book should be around 40,000 words - more or less is usually frowned upon in a market, when introduced to a brand new author. So I tried to scale my book on that, and when I made the decision of going indie publishing, word count suddenly didn't matter in that aspect. So although that was a relief off my chest, it was also another worry because I wanted both books to be equal in length, but oh well!

By now there are two days left!! I will randomly choose the winner on Friday, at 5:00PM - no later or sooner! So get involved as much as you can before then!

Love,
Sarah

February 1, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

As I'm sure ya'll know, the #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY is still ongoing until this upcoming Friday - but once again, in case anyone has yet to see the details, if you want a free print version of #Twisted when it publishes (in March 20), entering this giveaway will automatically put you in a slot to be randomly selected!! All you have to do is tweet #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY with my username included, and I'll add you in the box! Next week I'm probably going to do a giveaway off the platform of twitter, but to start off, it seems to be working fine!

Also, so yesterday the cover design concept was shown to me for the book. The studio works really fast, and above all, so SO professionally! I am so blown away by the cover - how they made it in two days is beyond me? However, as of now they only have the ebook format completed, they need additional information for the printed version, but that may take more time for me to put together. But as a bonus they included a 3-d model of what it should look like!

But as I mentioned earlier, if anyone is looking for a reliable, professional, and efficient studio for book design covers - I highly recommend them! They were attentive to what I wanted for my book, and used their marketing expertise to bring my vague idea to life! 

And time sure is ticking down! Just another month and a half before the book gets published!! To say I'm excited is surely an understatement! I still can't believe it's even happening. It feels like just a few months ago, I was still that teenage girl in high school staying up far too late to work on fan fiction! My how the years have passed. Ha! 

Anyhow, if you haven't already participated in the giveaway, I encourage you to do so! Who doesn't want a free book!?! I hope ya'll are having a great day! 

Love,

Sarah

January 31, 2016

Hiya, lovelies!

So last week I mentioned doing a giveaway for the publication of Twisted, where the prize will consist of a FREE print book with a little something written inside! If you're digging that idea, then keep reading!

Basically, I'm going to be holding this every Sunday throughout the month of February. I will give a week to get names recorded, then when Friday comes, I will randomly select a winner! Therefore there will be one winner per week!

Here is a an excerpt from the story:

“I’m sorry,” he said and shoved his hands in his pockets. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

            “Why not?”

            “You know why, Claire.”

            I swallowed thickly, a lump forming in the back of my throat. “I don’t care.”

            His eyes bored into my own. They had darkened into burning pits, his lips pulled back into an ugly sneer. “Have you forgotten who I am? I—” he raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

            “I like you,” I whispered, the words leaving my lips without my brain registering. Too late to turn back now. “I really like you, Heath. Not for what you do, but for who you are.”

            “For who I am?” He stepped closer, hands tightening into fists at his side, and I suddenly became aware of how tall he was. He towered over me, and a flash of fear crawled along my spine. I saw a brief glimmer of the assassin Heath was. I’d stand no match against him. “For some people, I’m the last person they see. I kill people. There’s a reason for it, but that doesn’t change what I do.”

            My back hit the door, and he kept stepping closer, and I couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I’m not afraid of you,” I said, but my voice shook.

            “You are,” he murmured, as an observation. “And that’s how it should be.”

How this is going to happen will be like this:

1) I will make the announcement, ya'll will tweet #TWISTEDGIVEAWAY and you must also tag my username too - so I can see it! My username is @SmilinForYa ; by doing this, you will automatically be put into the box to win the free book. But you HAVE to tweet with the tag AND my username - I will be looking for it! I'll favorite your tweet, to let you know your name is down.

2) On Friday, as I mentioned above, I will randomly 'pull from the box' and select the lovely winner!

3) Then on Sunday, it'll commence again!

As I've mentioned before, when the book is published, it'll only come out as an eBook format to the public eye initially. I do plan on printing a few to give to family and friends, but until I reach enough sales, I unfortunately won't be able to do it immediately.

So, this will be the first week of the #TWISTEDGIVEWAY ! Start tweeting !!

Love,
Sarah xx

Sarah Reeves

--SARAH REEVES--

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

1) A Texan for over 10 years or so

2) Mountains > the beach

3) Food is EVERYTHING

4) Love to bake!! 

5) Currently going to Texas A&M University for an English degree (subject to change)

6) Favorite place I've been to out of the USA is the Aran Islands, in Ireland! (photos courtesy of me!)

7) Love writing fan fiction! (though I haven't updated any of my fics for a while)

8) Some favorite music artists at the top of my head: the Beatles, Journey, Kansas, Boston, Poison, Breaking Benjamin, Radiohead, One Direction, Lady Gaga, The Weekend, Queen, Ed Sheeran, and Within Temptation! 

9) Some favorite movies at the top of my head: What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Titanic, Dances With Wolves, 17 Again, Chocolat, Never Been Kissed, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Dark Knight, The Iron Giant, and the original Halloween! 

10) Favorite books at the top of my head: Anything by Sarah Dessen, though my favorite right now is Saint Anything, the 5th Wave, the Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, the Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto (shout out to Jasmine for suggesting this to me! SO GOOD), Tiger Lilly, and the Book Thief!

11) Winter > summer or in other words, cold weather > hot weather

12) Favorite color is black!

13) Favorite video games: Skyrim (DOVAKHIIN), Minecraft, Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty Nazi Zombies, Sims, Kingdom Hearts, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus! 

14) Favorite fruit is strawberries! 

15) favorite snack is bananas with peanut butter! 

16) I am part Italian and part Irish! 

17) My first book I had ever finished was one I wrote for Santa Clause when I was a little girl. I even illustrated the pages, and though it was ghetto, with me stapling the ends together, I was so proud of it! Took me a while to finish making it haha! 

18) When I was a kid, my biggest dream was to either become a princess or live off in the woods somewhere with horses, away from society! Two very contrasting dreams, huh? 

19) I'm the middle child in my family! For my birthday last year, my dad told me: Thanks for keeping things interesting for us! I'm the so-called 'troublemaker' in my family, since my sister and brother are practically saints. Fun stuff! 

20) My OTP is Axel and Roxas, from Kingdom Hearts! They were the pairing that got me into reading fan fiction, and eventually writing it! 

WELL NOW MY HEART HURTS I'M GOING TO GO EAT A LOT OF CHOCOLATE BYE