Suicide in Tiny Increments: A Tragic Comedy by Riya Ann Polcastro

Suicide in Tiny Increments: A Tragic Comedy 

by: Riya Anne Polcastro

The smartest decision Daniel Long ever made was to take a hit out on his own life.

Too scared to kill himself but also too scared to live, he is a sad, pathetic man; a miserable martyr of depression. A year after he was dumped by his self-centered alcoholic girlfriend, he still wallows in the hole she left behind. And, except for the cubicle that he spends forty hours a week in, Daniel rarely leaves the bare white walls that make up his apartment. Trapped in his self-made ennui, his only escape is to hire a hitman.

But when one of his few friends kills herself Daniel realizes the error of his ways. He tries to cancel the hit but in the process he offends his contracted killer. Now his impending death is personal and his life is about to get more exciting than he could have ever imagined. 

Interview with Riya Anne Polcastro:

1.) What inspired you to write Suicide in Tiny Increments? 

I've always been really fascinated by mental illness and why people do the things they do. And of course perspective. Also, I wanted to write something that tackled a serious subject but in a funny way. The concept behind Suicide in Tiny Increments, suicide by hitman, is one that hasn't been overdone to death so I felt like there was an opportunity here to write something different.

2.) How long have you been writing?

I've been writing seriously for about five years but I have enjoyed "writing" stories since before I could technically read or write. 

3.) What genres do you write in?

I mostly write dark literary fiction. Really dark literary fiction. The whole fascinated with mental illness thing . . . it finds its way into most of my work. But I do branch out and enjoy many different genres. In fact, I will be genre hopping with the next book I have coming out (see #7). 

4.) Who is your favorite author(s)?

My favorite authors are Chuck Palahniuk, Leo Tolstoy, Christopher Moore, and Donald Ray Pollock.

5.) If you had to choose a fictional character from a book you read to have lunch with, who would it be and why?

Tyler Durden, Fight Club. Because Holy CRAP! I'm sure he would blow my mind. But it has to be Tyler Durden from the book, not the tame movie version. 

6.) What has been your biggest accomplishment since publishing?

Right now I think publishing is still my biggest accomplishment. 

7.) Do you have anything else in the works?

My next book to come out will be the first in a trilogy called Left Behind. I haven't settled on a title for Book One but I better hurry since I aim to have it out in about six weeks. Left Behind is middle grade sci fi lite. The concept of the trilogy is the idea that maybe earth isn't the first planet humans have lived on. Maybe those little green men in outer space are the descendants of those left behind when humanity escaped environmental disaster. It's a tale of history repeating itself; a moral tale, yes, but in a way that kids can relate to and with plenty of adventure. Plus it's told by a fourteen year old alien so that's pretty cool. The Left Behind Trilogy will be released under a somewhat different ::pen name: R. Anne Polcastro. I want to have a distinction between my adult and young adult work because what I write for adults is definitely not something kids should read. But at the same time I want the name to be similar enough that my adult audience can recognize it and share it with their own kids. Well I am quickly getting off topic of the question but I do want to say that if you are interested in featuring Left Behind too that would be amazing! I should have ARCs available in the next couple of weeks. I'm still trying to navigate the whole pre-release thing but I hope to have it available for free to anyone who wants to write a review through Story Cartel ASAP.

Buy Suicide in Tiny Increments: A Tragic Comedy:

Amazon - Createspace - Lulu - Barnes & Noble -Smashwords

Connect with Riya Ann Polcastro:

Goodreads - Website - Blog - Suicide in Tiny Increments: A Tragic Comedy Website - Facebook

First two people to comment on this  blog post will each win a Smashwords coupon toward Suicide in Tiny Increments: A Tragic Comedy!

MIA Should be My Middle Name...

I went MIA again. I'm sorry for that. I feel like someone pressed fast forward on my life and I've been trying mercilessly to catch up since. So much has happened since my last post, I hope you bear with me again as this is going to be a long one.

To start off, Pieces of Me release day blitz was a total success! I had over 100 people add it to their TBR list and over 150 new likes on Facebook in a week. I'd say that was $30 well spent. It is currently sitting with 11 reviews on Amazon, and the majority of them 4 & 5-star reviews. I'm really excited about that. While there are still mixed reviews, the majority of them tend to stay solely on Goodreads. I offered Pieces of Me free for the first three days after it's release and had 800 people download it. I've been hoping that I will begin to see a few of those reviews, so far only 2-3 have come through on Amazon, but I hope that will increase in the next few weeks. 

My Forever was stagnant on Amazon and slowly climbing the ranks in numbers, so I decided to change it over to Kindle Select and also run a free promotion for it for five days. With only two days left, it has been downloaded for free over 600 times. I'd say both of my free promotions were highly successful. I'm not sure what other kinds of numbers authors see when running those, but I am satisfied with how both of mine went. 

I haven't been writing at all. I think my mind needed a break to be honest. I've been going at this at 100% for over a year, and I think everyone needs a bit of a break sometimes. Although, I haven't been doing as much writing as I would like, I have began writing a new novel called Hitchhiking Life and I am so excited to begin sharing it with you guys! I already posted an excerpt on my Facebook author page. Check it out here. I am going to be putting that one aside though, because I know my main focus needs to remain on Into the Darkness and then Against All Odds. I began fleshing out the plot holes of ITD and let me tell you they were everywhere! I've never written paranormal or fantasy or even post apocalyptic before, but there is a start to everything right? I need to make sure that it is as tight as can be before I send it out for betas and critiques. I wrote an entirely new prologue in Ike's POV and I'm really excited about it and can't wait for you guys to check it out! I have also began writing Austyn and Avery's story in AAO slowly on Wattpad. If you are interested in following the rough draft as it is created click here. 

Being a writer is a full time job. It's even more than that, it's 24 hours a day, round the clock. It is tiring, but I know at the end of the day--it will all be worth it. 

I have decided to begin doing a Spotlight Saturday post in which I will highlight an author on both here and my Facebook author page. If you or anyone else you know are interested, please shoot me an email. My first Spotlight Saturday post should be posted on 9/13. Be on the lookout for some hidden gems! 

Melissa at the Reader & the Chef was kind enough to review Pieces of Me for me. Check out her 3.5 star review here!

Lisa from a Life Bound by Books was kind enough to do a guest post with me, highlighting Pieces of Me! Check out my fun guest post here.

Serenity at Lovely Reads was awesome enough to review both My Forever and Beautifully Broken! Check out her 4-star My Forever review here. Beautifully Broken earned 5-stars from her, check out the review here. Serenity was also sweet enough to do an interview with me--check out all her questions and my answers here!

Kat from Escape Reality reviewed Pieces of Me as well. Check out her 3-star review here.

I did receive a rather upsetting 2.5-star review on Pieces of Me from Jessica at Tales Between the Pages. Normally, I wouldn't highlight a review that was unfavorable, but there were some things I needed to address regarding her review. One of her criticisms was that she didn't understand why people would choose to graduate high school early. Here in the United States, people choose to graduate early every day. My mother graduated early--I had friends who did the same. I contemplated it myself, but decided to attend my senior year even though I only really had two classes. After graduating, at my school, students were still allowed to attend the prom. You could even ask peers from other schools to attend with you. I'm not sure what it is like in other countries, but these are all normal occurrences. Another discrepancy she had was the fact that Peyton was prescribed over the counter medication for her post traumatic stress disorder. I know in other countries, they may not have over the counter medication for such disorders, but in the United States, they have a drug called Zanaprin. It is said to fight against:

• General Anxiety Disorder
• OCD Disorder
• PTSD Disorder
• Panic & Agoraphobia
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Bi-Polar Disorder

This is the medication I researched and wrote about in Pieces of Me. It is recommended for quite a few disorders beyond PTSD, but I assure you, I did research this before I included it in the story. The last thing I wanted to shed light on was why Peyton seemed so boy-crazy and quick to lust after the boys who showed her attention. I was always a bigger girl, my entire life. In high school if ANY boy showed me attention, I was instantly interested. Sadly, this does happen and it's unfortunate. It wasn't until I grew up and really understood what I wanted that I could stop putting so much stock into every single guy that showed interest in me. Peyton is a junior in high school, and thus acts as such. Now, there were small issues Jessica pointed out in her review that I had missed and I am very thankful she posted it so that I could quickly fix them and republish Pieces of Me. If you would like to read her review, you can do so here. I appreciate that she reviewed Pieces of Me at all! Even with all of the issues she found.

Check out this awesome teaser my friend Diana made me! What do you guys think about it?

There is one last thing I did want to address before signing off on this rather lengthy blog post. If you are an avid blogger, reader, or author you've probably heard about the controversy swirling around Chelsea Cain and probably have mixed feelings like the rest of us. To clear it up, she posted some insensitive comments regarding her fans asking 'boneheaded' questions and basically said they don't pay her bills so they should stop wasting her time. Being an author myself, I understand the importance of being able to separate personal and professional feelings. I do not agree with the way she handled the situation whatsoever and I want to let you all know that I am always here to answer any and all of your questions no matter how mundane they are. Readers are what got me where I am today and they are who will help get me where I desire to be. You guys are my friends, my acquaintances, my cheerleaders. I will always treat you as such. I promise to never take this for granted. I will never take YOU for granted.

Don't forget, if you're not doing something you love--you're not really living.

Now go out and enjoy your Saturday for me, will ya?

The Sky is the Limit

I know, I know--I am terrible. I have been MIA and I apologize. So much has been going on it's been hard to keep track. I don't even know where to start, so I am going to apologize right off the bat if this becomes a jumbled mess of my thoughts.

First things first-Pieces of Me officially releases on August 25th, and so far, it has already garnered 7 reviews! I don't know if I will be able to squeeze out any more before Monday, but 7 in 11 days is pretty much amazing. For the majority, they are 4 & 5 star reviews and I couldn't be more excited that people are relating to Peyton and enjoying seeing her journey play out. 

I just received the first paperback copies of Pieces of Me and they are so unbelievably beautiful, you have no freaking clue. Check out this awesome picture of me with the first ever paperback! I am so excited to share my lyrics with the world, you have no idea!

There are a couple of things I did want to address regarding Pieces of Me, because out of all of my novels, it is the one that brings out the most passion from it's readers-love it or hate it, they are passionate about the topics inside.

Pieces of Me is realistic fiction. I included real personalities of people that are very near and dear to my heart, some character descriptions as far as looks were pretty spot on, real conversations and situations also made it into the book. Peyton was loosely based off the person I used to be. Her personality, spunk, and charisma are all me; real things I have said or done. I have always been a bigger girl my entire life, hitting 215 lbs at my heaviest, a size sixteen. I developed a stomach infection and did not have insurance. During the first two months, sixty pounds melted off me. I am around 150 lbs right now and have been here since. Because it happened so quickly, I ended up with a lot of extra skin. Hence why Peyton struggles with it in the story. The girl I chose to portray her on the front of the novel is obviously not the 215 lb Peyton, but the secondary girl-the one she grows into. 

When I was a bigger girl I had confidence like no one's business. Confidence is sexy. I was able to date a lot of guys--and guess what, a lot of them were HOT. Now that I am a size 9, I have less confidence than ever. I fear that I am suffering from a slight case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. People compliment me everyday by telling me how great I look, but I just don't see it. I have rolls of extra skin, a double chin, and more insecurities than I've ever had. What I'm trying to say is that even though Peyton is portrayed as a bigger girl, doesn't mean people won't be attracted to her. For the most part, people are finding the ability to relate very easy which I appreciate. 

I finished my first draft of the Fighter. It is currently around 40k words, but I have a feeling after sending it through a few rounds of beta readers it will balloon out closer to 50k like Pieces of Me. I am so happy with the product I have created, but I have never been more nervous in my entire life to share a story. In all of my stories I attempt to focus on certain themes. My Infinite Love series focuses on addiction, abuse, suicide, self-harm, disorders, cheating, grief, love triangles, etc. In my Foundation series I focus on suicide, addictions, depression, love triangles, insecurities, abuse, ptsd, attempted rape, homicide, and even a school shooting. Unfortunately, all of these themes are extremely REAL and gritty. None of it is flowers and rainbows. Life is not pretty and I wanted to show that. I know there are going to be mixed reviews regarding Jace's story. But I genuinely want to hear it all. I am hoping more than anything people will be able to relate to his story just as strongly as they did with Peyton's. So far the first draft is up on Wattpad and nearing 10k reads already, so I think I did something right. 

In other news, I was recently asked to be a part of my friend Kristen's Birthday Bash which included guest posts from a handful of her favorite indie authors. Kristen runs Pretty Little Pages which does an awesome post called Pretty Little Indies once a week. I was so excited when she asked me, I couldn't say no! Check out my fun guest post here on the ten things I've learned since I began writing, and then, if you haven't already, enter to win a handful of prizes from eBooks to signed paperbacks and even an Amazon gift card. There is less than 13 hours left to enter. Check out all the fun here.

Tiffany from Curling Up with a Good Book was gracious enough to do a review for Pieces of Me. Check out her 3.5 star review here!  

Whitney from Shooting Stars Reviews was also kind enough to review Beautifully Broken for me. Check out her 3 star review here.

My Book Chatter was sweet enough to do a spotlight post on Beautifully Broken. Check out the fun post here.

Brandi Breathes Books did an amusing interview with me regarding Pieces of Me and is also holding a giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card along with a copy of Pieces of Me. You have 28 days left--check out the exciting post here and enter to for a chance to win!

Lastly, I am taking part in a week long Release Day Blitz for Pieces of Me beginning on August 25th. It is being hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. There will also be a giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card, check it all out here.

If you are a book blogger and would like an ecopy of Pieces of Me in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, please don't hesitate to email me.

Alright! I think that about covers it. Now that I've linked the heck out of this post-I hope you enjoy!

Don't forget, if you're not doing something you love--you're not really living.

Kristen's Indie Author Birthday Bash Kick-Off

Hey guys!

I have some exciting news! This week I am taking part in my good friend Kristen's Indie Author Birthday Bash Kick-Off! Wow, that was a mouthful! It will be a fun-filled week of guest posts, giveaways, and much more!

 
Hop over to Pretty Little Pages to take part in all the festivities and don't forget to check out my guest post on August 20th and enter to win a copy of both My Forever & Beautifully Broken!

Back in Oregon -- This is Going to be a Rambling Mess...

First off, my apologies for being so neglectful! I had a giveaway which ended and was won by the beautiful Jahna (Jae). She won three copies of both My Forever & Beautifully Broken--not that she needs that many copies, LOL, but she will hopefully be sharing with friends and family! Congratulations my friend--they will be in the mail to you soon!

So, like the title says, I have made it back to Oregon. It was a long three day drive due to a few pit stops, but overall, it was one of the easier moves I've ever had to make. I don't know if that sentence made sense...but I am going with it. 

Since making it home and beginning the medication I was prescribed, I have felt more weak, more groggy, and more exhausted than before. I hope the medication kicks in soon so I am not sleeping through all my time off. I need to be productive now more than ever.

I am still having trouble sleeping more than 5-6 hours a night, but I am still extremely groggy and exhausted every day. I take a few naps throughout the day, but nothing seems to give me any sort of energy. It's really draining being tired all the time--especially when you are doing NOTHING!

On the book front, My Forever & Beautifully Broken are killing it in reviews! Both are currently sitting at 7 reviews on Amazon each. So many people who have been reviewing MF have been disappointed or upset with different aspects of the story--but it's funny to watch the same people move onto BB with little to no expectations of greatness and all of them be blown away. 

My Forever was the first book I EVER wrote. Of course it was bound to be a little rougher around the edges. I've also been told my transitions are choppy in general, and I think that is something I need to work on with all of my books. But I've always known deep down BB is a dark horse; I was just waiting for everyone else to experience the same feeling. 

It's exciting to see people who really weren't motivated to read it after MF, absolutely fall in love with Lee and Jacqueline's story and become invested. So many people have told me how much they liked Austyn and Avery and they cannot wait to read the next installment which focuses solely on them!

Even though I've had the time off, I haven't written more than one chapter. I really need to outline my stories. Because I am so exhausted on a consistent basis, it's been difficult to write flying by the seat of my pants. I've also been trying to give back by giving out some constructive criticism on Wattpad as well as reviewing other stories on Goodreads and Amazon for fellow writers. 

Pieces of Me is set to release on August 25th! I am beyond excited. It has been through a few beta readers since I edited it last and all have enjoyed the story and are looking forward to the next one. I also signed up for a release day blitz with YA Bound Book Tours, it was pretty affordable at $30 and 60-100 bloggers taking part in the release. I will let you know if it is successful or not. I am also rounding up a few of my past bloggers I have worked with and enjoyed and asked if they would participate, to which they all have agreed!

There is still a little part of me nervous about how the reaction will be for POM. So far it's either been complete love or complete hate. No middle ground. The strong opinions in the past have normally centered around Peyton having so many love interests within a 50k word novel. Unfortunately, it does happen and is realistic writing...I never said it would be pretty.

I have planned out the estimated release dates for all the novels I am currently working on and it seems as though I should be able to get POM, the Fighter, and Into the Darkness released before the end of the year. There is a very good chance I may also be able to get Against All Odds. Here's to hoping. If that takes place, I would have released 6 books within the first year I ever published. I think that's pretty bad-ass. I bought a ton of stock photos for anything else I decide to publish in the future. I'm really excited about them. I love being in complete control when it comes to the images being used on my books. I love being able to choose how I want my brand represented and my cover designer Emmy does a fantastic job. She is highly affordable too and very flexible to work with!

I came to the realization the other day that we can all do whatever we desire in life--we just have to not give up. If you fail, get back up and try again! This motto works for anything in life. It seems so simple...but giving up is easier and people succumb to it everyday. I am going to be a success story--and I am going to be one because of my hard work, dedication, and motivation.

Don't forget, if you're not doing something you love--you're not really living.

Teasers, Reviews, Giveaways, Oh My (Continued)

So, it is official--I am moving back to Oregon. It's bittersweet. It won't hit me until a few weeks settled back into my old house, my old neighborhood. It is the best thing for me right now and I do believe that I'll look back and feel the same way. I haven't had much time to write this week, but soon I will be able to sleep better and write longer--I'm excited. 

I should be packing...but I've always been a terrible procrastinator. Technically, I really don't have much. It's just going through what to keep and what to toss. I'm going to spend my entire weekend packing and taking my car to Firestone to make sure it's ready to make the long drive...honestly, I'm not sure it is.

***UPDATE***

I fell asleep. Since I woke up, I've spent all day packing. I have all of my room packed for the most part. I'm exhausted. All that I have left is going to be my shower stuff.

I still have one more week of work, minus a day. Friday, July 18th is officially going to be my last day at T Music Entertainment Group. It's strange to think I won't have to battle the hot weather anymore or what to wear for work. 

I have edited Pieces of Me to my standards--now I am just awaiting a new round of beta readers to let me know their thoughts. It's been well received from the beginning, but I want to make sure I am staying true to the story when implementing their recommendation for changes.

I had an epiphany the other night when I decided to read Into the Darkness, all the way through, from the beginning, for the first time in forever. The story just wasn't grabbing me; I felt like an outsider looking in rather than part of the action...then it hit me. ITD is meant to be in present tense; Phoenix' voice is so much clearer and stronger and the action is undeniable. I don't know why it took me so long to realize.

Originally when I first wrote the story I wrote it in third person, knowing I planned to have multiple POV's...but after a critique made me realize first person sounded more natural I switched. I've never been a big fan of writing present tense, I'm not sure why. It's just not what comes naturally to me...but I got practice in with the flashbacks in Beautifully Broken; and to be honest, I didn't mind it so much.

My Infinite Love series was reviewed yet again! This time by Maria at Obsessed By Books! She only had kind things to say about the series; giving My Forever a rating of 3/5 stars and Beautifully Broken 4/5. And then to top it all off she even made a couple teasers for My Forever! Check it out:

I love them! First teasers for any of my books! So exciting. I can't wait till people begin to make teasers for Pieces of Me!! With my lyrics on them!! My heart races just thinking about it.

Lived One Thousand Lives reviewed Beautifully Broken for me and had a lot of kind things to say! Check out the sweet review here.

Don't forget there are a few giveaways happening. I am giving away the first two books from the Infinite Love series (paperbacks), along with bookmarks as well. Then, I will also be giving away the 'Ultimate Kira Love Package' which includes all the aforementioned as well as custom earrings and a few other surprises.

Then, over at Kookie Krysp Reads there is also be a separate giveaway for three copies of My Forever; winners choice in format. Hurry up and enter--the giveaway only runs until July 16th! It's really simple, all you do is leave a comment here with your choice of format and you will be entered to win!

I can't wait to make writing the center of my world. :)

Don't forget, if you're not doing something you love--you're not really living. 

In the Land of the Free - Happy Fourth!

Yesterday was the Fourth of July and I had the privilege of working on the holiday. Luckily, it was a pretty awesome day at the office for me. Between a DJ, a beatboxer, dancers, and drummers we had a pretty epic day.

I had to work basically the same schedule again today and so I haven't been able to do the writing and editing I would have liked to get around to. Hopefully tomorrow; I have a few errands to run however though.

Awhile ago, I got this pretty awesome 5-star review on Pieces of Me from a total stranger and it made my heart happy. Little did I know that same stranger apparently reviewed both Pieces of Me and the Fighter on her blog (even though it isn't finished) and I just recently came across her reviews. Check out both of her reviews here.

Yesterday I came across a 4-star review I was given on Beautifully Broken by someone who had already read and rated My Forever three stars. Her review has made me so giddy because it is exactly how I want everyone to feel after reading the first two books in my Infinite Love series...

Check out her awesome review:

'I received this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. This book was more captivating than the first book in the series. Topics of bi-polar disorder, self-mutilation, AIDS, and forgiveness are all explored in this book. It was written much better than the first novel. I found myself hoping for the happy ending through the entire book, through all the ups and downs, which kept me from putting the book down. I'm really excited to read the third book in the series.'

She wants to continue on to Against All Odds! I must have done something right! 

Editing for Pieces of Me is coming along slowly, but well. I haven't had the time I would have liked to, but I have been making it work. I am about halfway done. Pieces of Me is going to exceed all my expectations again...I can feel it in my bones. I added a new scene that delves more into Peyton wanting to be a singer and I've been polishing and even changing a few of the songs. I am really excited for the final product. Pieces of Me has always been my Golden child. I hope Amazon proves nothing different.  

I can barely keep my eyes open from my hectic Fourth. I am going to go dream about becoming an Amazon .99 millionaire! :)

Reviews, Interviews, and Giveaways Oh My!

Exciting things are on the horizon...I can feel it in my bones. My Forever has been published for about five weeks now and although it's been a slow start, I believe there will be a pickup in sales soon. I didn't do any promotion ahead of time, and that is really why I believe it hasn't been purchased more than a few times. However, as the reviews come piling in, I still believe Madalynne and Parker have a bright future ahead of them. 

Recently, the nice people at Lived One Thousand Lives reviewed My Forever and gave it 3/5 stars. You can check out the review here. I actually agree with a lot of it and appreciate the honesty. I love constructive criticism, I knew there were parts of the story people were going to love and parts they might hate. No matter how hard I tried to soften her, I also knew Maddy wasn't as likeable as I would have hoped. But I have been pleasantly surprised and happy with every 3 star review that is popping up. 

Krystle at Kookie Krysp Reads was gracious enough to do an interview and a giveaway! I will be giving away three copies of My Forever. (Winners choice in format: Epub, Mobi, or Paperback within the United States) She even made a gorgeous banner for all of it! Check out all the fun here!

Liv at Shredded Book Reviews was kind enough to take on My Forever, even though it was YA and review it. Another 3 star review; makes me happy it is consistent. Check out her honest review here.

Lastly, check out all the awesome reviews of My Forever here! Why yes I did just link the UK Amazon page. Why, you ask? Because you cannot see those reviews on Amazon.com. But My Forever actually has three 5-star reviews on there! Technically two, but who's counting! 

Beautifully Broken is even sitting at two 5-star reviews right now! Can't wait until the next handful come in. Until then, I'll be anxiously awaiting them! 

I got bookmarks made. Some of My Forever and then some of my Infinite Love Series. They look great!  Can't wait to give some of those away. 

Don't forget, if you're not doing what you love--you're not really living.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I've been itching to write I just haven't felt like I've had the time. I've been trying to put my health first for once and apart from work that's where I've been--dentist and doctor appointments. 

My Forever finally has 4 Amazon reviews in the United States and 3 in the UK. It is sitting at 4 stars currently. I agree with a lot of the reviews! It only took a month...

I feel like Maddy made rush decisions and I wonder if I explored the relationship between her and Lee a little further before the inevitable fall, if it would take the book to a POM status. I haven't made any decisions yet, thousands of readers on Wattpad were happy with the story the way it was; are happy. 

Beautifully Broken currently has two 5-star reviews on Amazon, I am waiting for the other reviews to come through. I've made the comment before, but I honestly believe BB to be a "Dark Horse". It is currently sitting with over 11k reads on Wattpad and only positive responses!

I have been in the process of editing Pieces of Me in preparation of publishing soon and I had forgotten how much I missed Peyton's voice; my voice. Pieces of Me has touched readers in ways I never thought possible. As I continue with editing and revising, I am reminded just how incredible a story I have in my hands. One so real and pure, peers find themselves relating without difficulty. 

I am putting this out to the universe -- I know what I want to do with the rest of my life -- 100% in this very moment -- I know, I want to write stories. I want to be able to travel, to be healthy, to be happy, to write, and to be surrounded by the people I love. Whether it is tomorrow, or next week, or even a few months down the line, I want to live my dream FINALLY.

The only way for me to be able to do this is with your support. Can you afford .99 cents? How about $2.99? Do you have an Amazon account? Can you post a review on any of my books you have read and enjoyed? Can you recommend my books to your friends? Any help is much appreciated. 

I don't know how much longer I can do it. I am just being honest. I want to live my life for me...for once.

Teaser Tuesday - Zombified

Hey guys!

It's that time again; Teaser Tuesday! This time I picked a never before seen snippet from an unreleased chapter of Into the Darkness. Enjoy.

The biter came out of nowhere. Ike went for it out of habit but a voice rose up out of Rian I wasn’t expecting then. “No,” she said firmly. “Let me do it.”

She had taken us all by surprise, judging by the matching expressions we were all wearing.

“Are you sure?” Ike asked, his eyes planted firmly on me for approval.

I had known this time would come, I just hadn’t been expecting it so soon…

I nodded my head hesitantly knowing there was no way to go back at this point. In the new world we were living in, it was inevitable this day would come.

The biter looked worse for wear. Its skin was greying and decaying. His right arm had been severed from his body and was hanging by mere tendons.

The smell perforating off him was enough to make anyone sick, yet was something we had grown accustomed to. 

“The head is the money spot,” Ike whispered as the biter slowly approached. “Just like we practiced.”

I looked up at Ike then, expectantly. Practiced? How long had Ike been secretly training her behind my back? How long had I been wrapped up in my losses to realize?

I winced as Rian brought the bat down hard again and again, smashing in the biters skull. I found myself wondering who he had been before all of this; a teacher? A grocer? A mail man? It didn’t really matter anymore, but it helped keep my sickness at bay.

My Forever is...PUBLISHED!

Yes. You heard me right. My Forever is published and available on Amazon, Createspace, and Smashwords! And yes, I did it all myself. And no, it was not easy and definitely time consuming. However, I am so ecstatic that the first book I ever wrote over twelve years ago is finally getting it's footing.

Prior to deciding to publish it had been through multiple rounds of beta readers and plenty of comments and feedback from it being on Wattpad. I am really excited for the bright future ahead of Madalynne and Parker and can't wait to see their love soar.

Amazon E-Book

Createspace/Amazon Paperback

Smashwords

I would love all the support and feedback I can get. 

Much love. <3 p="">

Krista