Epilogue from hell

After a really weird, stressful summer filled with medical tests, I'm back -- and slowly getting back into the third book in my YA series. I've also started another book more along the lines of College Girl, which I have tentatively titled Lawyer. I'm about five chapters in, but I haven't yet figured out whether I'll actually finish it. We'll see.

Now, about that epilogue from hell ...

As I said originally: I never intended College Girl as anything more than a stand-alone novel. And while I think there's more to Alex and Ryan's story, I didn't want to drag things out. Plus, when I'm writing, I have a tendency to want to burn things down by the end. It's sick and twisted, but unless I'm sobbing as I finish writing a book, then it just doesn't feel complete. On the other hand, I love happy endings. Heavy sigh. Yeah, it just doesn't make sense.

After I finished College Girl -- with the ending that you read -- I had the same nagging feeling since I wasn't a sobbing mess on the floor as soon as I finished the last word. So, what did I do? I went ahead and wrote the epilogue from hell. Then I promptly locked myself in the bathroom for a half hour to cry. Only two people have seen said epilogue from hell. One of them was my husband, who said something along the lines of: "Holy shit! That's really, really evil. You can't publish that." I sulked for a few days, and then I realized he was right. Now my little epilogue sits lonely and dejected on my hard drive.

In another dangerously unhealthy impulse, I've been tempted to release a little bit from the beginning of Lawyer, but that would be just another psychologically damaging little habit I have -- releasing stuff before I'm ready and then getting pissed at myself for doing it. If I do decide to release Lawyer down the road, I'll post teasers here. Stay tuned!

My question now is: where did you see Alex and Ryan ending up after the final pages of College Girl? The epilogue I wrote is one alternate ending. Maybe you have a better (happier) one.

S.G.

College Girl is up on barnesandnoble.com!

You can purchase it here!

Entering Gigaverse

Recently, the lovely Simone Collins, co-founder of Gigaverse, invited me to share some of my thoughts as a self-published author. The beta site has launched, and I've had the pleasure of poking around the site, which is a treasure trove of resources, particularly for those looking to earn an income from a hobby, as well as people (like me!) who want to start a new career online.

You can check out my thoughts about self-publishing and making a living as an author, as well as how I got College Girl out there.

A big thank-you to Simone for including me!

S.G.

College Girl is coming to barnesandnoble.com very soon!

Good news! College Girl will be available on barnesandnoble.com this weekend!

I'll post a link as soon as it goes up.

More soon ... maybe even a preview from my latest project if I'm feeling brave!

S.G.

You're the ones I'm writing for!!

Have you ever worked on something (or really fallen in love with something) -- and people are like, "You're crazy!"?? Sometimes when I write, I feel like that.

Then, there are those days where College Girl gets the most out-of-this-world fantastic review on Amazon -- and I receive the best e-mail from a fan of the book. Um -- YAY! You guys totally make it worth it. I *love* people who go out of their way to say something nice -- it's so much better than the alternative!

To Crystal F. -- your e-mail totally made my morning! Thank you for reaching out -- that's the sort of stuff I live for!

Rachel Davis said in her Amazon review:

"My heart breaks every time I read this because it is so beautiful. I'm so much like Alexis, it's not even funny."

Wow! Yes! Yes! Yes! You guys are the ones I'm writing for, and I really appreciate your awesome comments! To everyone who has left a heartfelt review, thank you, thank you, thank you!

And special shout-out as well to College Girl's fans in the UK! Many thanks for taking the time to write all those lovely reviews.

S.G.

College Girl discussion questions

Okay, for a bit of fun, here are some discussion questions to ponder ... Yay!

Taking my foot off the brake

College Girl began as less than two pages -- just a little bit of a character study while I was feeling frustrated and less than motivated to work on another series that I published under another name. So, I started College Girl around November of last year. Then I put it aside, thinking I might get back to it -- eventually -- and maybe turn it into a little novella just for fun.

Then it just bit me. The story was all I could think about -- and I just wanted to keep writing ... and writing. I think the reason was that I had finally taken my foot off the brake, metaphorically speaking. I didn't sit there and wonder, "Will this offend someone? Should I tone it down?" I wrote the book I wanted to read.

Yeah, the main character curses -- a lot. It would be a different fucken book if she didn't, right? ;-) So, in the end, the story took on a life of its own -- and I followed it. Nope, I didn't outline it. It just went where it wanted to go.

I can tell you one thing, though. If I hadn't eased up on the brake and let things fly, then College Girl wouldn't exist. Because some things work out best when you let go and just see what happens.

This book was me letting go. And I just started another one, but more on that later ...

S.G.

Sequel and other stuff

Okay, so I've gotten a couple of really good questions recently that I think I should address here.

1. Will College Girl be available on Barnes & Noble for Nook?
Unfortunately, I had no idea that College Girl would take off the way it did, so I signed an exclusivity contract with Amazon.com for three months. If there is enough interest, I will release College Girl for Nook as soon as possible, which is approximately early October.

2. Will there be a sequel to Alex and Ryan's story?
The simple answer is: not at the moment. Not knowing what sort of reception College Girl would get, I decided to let the book stand on its own. That said, do I think Alex and Ryan's story is over?? Nope. However, again, I have not planned for a sequel since I had no idea anyone would want to see one. LOL!

Either way, I will be working on something in the future. Keep an eye out!

Now a few questions for you ...

Who wants to see a sequel to College Girl? (See the poll!)

Who's looking for the book on B&N?

Exactly how hot is Ryan Bennett? ;-)


For those of you who have reached out and said you enjoyed the book -- THANK YOU! You're awesome!

S.G.

Roller coaster

This has quite possibly been the wildest week of my life -- and it still feels like I'm going to wake up ... or somebody is going to come and tell me that this isn't my life.

Here's the reality: College Girl is 100 percent a self-published novel. Literally two people knew about it before I pressed publish. One of those people was my husband, who was tireless (and quite grouchy) about reviewing the manuscript over and over. He's one of the two people to whom I dedicated College Girl -- because, without his support, it never would have gotten written or published.

The second person I dedicated the book to is a friend. She has literally been my cheering squad and my shoulder to lean on when things get tough. She makes me laugh when I feel like crying, and she and my husband have been the ones to say, "Keep going!" when I've felt like quitting.

I still feel like I'm strapped into a roller coaster, and I just want to thank everyone who has bought College Girl and (I hope) enjoyed Alex and Ryan's story. There is no other word for my little book making it this far: amazing.

XX
S.G.

Wow, just wow

A couple of days ago College Girl got its first review, so a big thank you goes out to Amazon reviewer Lori Gallelli for taking a chance on an unheard of author! And I think she hit the nail on the head when she said:

"I think book title might throw some people off but this is more than straight erotica."


I definitely didn't want people going in expecting one thing and getting another, so thank you -- again -- to Lori for pointing that out.


Since then, I've had to pick my jaw up from the floor -- multiple times -- from absolute shock. I literally only told two people I know (my husband and a single friend) that I wrote this little book, so when I published it five short days ago, I was really depending on the possibility that strangers would take a chance on it. I had no idea what to expect, but seeing my book rise from complete obscurity to anywhere near the 500 of the Kindle Store is nothing short of amazing.


I hope you're enjoying Alex and Ryan's story, because I had an absolute kick-ass time writing it. And if you've told a friend (or two) about College Girl thank you a million times. ;-)


S.G.

P.S. -- I kinda feel like this guy right now:

College Girl is available for purchase on Kindle!

She's a student. He's the teacher. And their worlds are about to collide ...

In her second term of college Alex Reed has one thing on her mind: passing Calculus. So when her professor introduces Ryan Matthews, the new TA, she writes him off in a second. Tall, hotter than hell—clearly a major ego case. Whatever. Guys like him don’t notice girls like her. Besides, she’s never even kissed a guy, so her sex-crazed roommate can have Mr. Hot.

***

Ryan Bennett left the family business and his pill-popping ex-fiancée to do something for himself. Then, only months before finishing his doctorate under an assumed name, he walks into his advisor’s freshman Calculus class and sees her. Alex Reed. The last thing he needs. Young, inexperienced—and off limits. But when someone who shouldn't follows her across campus at night, he’s forced to do something about it.

What happens next will change their lives forever.

Buy it here.

Here it goes!

Deep breath. Maybe one more. Very shortly, I will be pressing publish on my "debut" novel, and it feels a bit like standing on the high dive. For right now, I'm holding my breath and waiting for the moment when I'll actually jump.

If you land on my blog in the coming weeks or months because you enjoyed College Girl, thank you! And please be advised that my rantings may be as saucy as my book.

I'm interested in any questions, deep thoughts, or random musings you may have!

XOXO
S.G.