Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Happy birthday, WAITING FOR THE STORM!

Today's the day! WAITING FOR THE STORM is now officially out in the world. *happy dances while popping open champagne and handing out cupcakes*

I'd like to tell you all a bit about this book. As some of you know, it's my third novel, and a return to contemporary YA after a little side trip into chick lit with my last book. I wrote WAITING FOR THE STORM last summer. Little bits and pieces of it had been floating around in my mind, and all of a sudden it came together with perfect clarity, and when I sat down, the words poured out of me. It took me exactly three weeks to write the first draft of this book. It was the easiest - and the hardest - book I'd ever written. It left me emotionally drained, but also satisfied, because I knew it was the best thing I had written yet. 

My beloved Grama died a little less than a year before I wrote this book, and the grief was almost crippling. I'd experienced grief before - if you've read BLUE SKY DAYS, you might know that my dad died of leukemia when I was ten - but this...this was all-consuming. My Grama was one of my best friends, and losing her was like losing a part of myself. She was my biggest fan and biggest supporter, so I took that grief and turned it into something positive: a story that I poured my heart and soul into, and that I hoped would touch other people.

I love this book, and I am so proud of it. I sincerely hope that there will be many people who are willing to open their hearts to Charlotte's story and to feel her sorrow and her fears, but also her hopes, dreams, and triumphs.

Charlotte O’Dell knows this summer is going to suck. Her beloved mother just died, her sister hates her, and her dad has completely checked out. Fulfilling her mother’s final wish, the family heads to Angel Island for the summer to stay in a beach house her mother once loved.

After a year of being shut away taking care of her mother, Charlotte is numb and practically afraid of her own shadow; she hopes going to the island will give her the time and space she needs to begin healing, and an opportunity to bring her family back together. When she meets her mysterious neighbor, Ezra, it doesn’t take long for Charlotte to confess the issues she’s developed. Ezra begins giving Charlotte assignments to get over her fears, and although she accepts his tasks, all she really wants is to be with him. When she’s with Ezra, she’s able to forget the hollow ache in her heart and the fact that her family is falling apart. But Ezra has secrets…

Can Charlotte pull what’s left of her family together, mend her broken heart, and allow herself to fall for Ezra? Or is it all just a storm waiting to happen?

To celebrate the official release of WAITING FOR THE STORM, I'm having a giveaway. I had originally intended to do two small-ish giveaways - one for reviewers, and another for everyone else - but decided to combine them and make it one big giveaway. I’ll be doing more in the coming weeks and months, so if you don’t win this time keep an eye out for another giveaway!

Prize pack includes:

WAITING FOR THE STORM tote bag

2 signed WAITING FOR THE STORM postcards

WAITING FOR THE STORM sticker

WAITING FOR THE STORM notebook

Charlotte’s heart necklace
 
A better view of Charlotte's necklace
*Open internationally
*There are a ton of ways to enter - you can do as many or as few of the entries as you like
*Must be 16 years old or have parental permission to enter
*Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen 
*Please note, if you’re writing a review, they do not need to be positive to qualify for the giveaway. Naturally I hope you enjoy the book, but I understand that everyone is different, and we’re all entitled to our opinions, whatever they may be. I want honest reviews, whether you loved it or hated it. 



4 comments:

  1. Happy book birthday! :D

    BTW, your swag looks lovely. :)

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Time for me to leave a mushy, smooshy comment! *grabs beverage* *sits down*

    Dear Marie,

    Today is your book birthday for WAITING FOR THE STORM. Soon, people everywhere will be downloading it, and discovering for themselves the touching, emotional story within. They'll meet Charlotte, Ezra, Ella, and others, and my wish for them is that they feel the depth of the words and the story that I felt when I read WAITING.

    Every once in awhile - not very often - a book comes along that worms its way into your heart, and sticks with you. Those books are incredibly powerful, and incredibly special, for their rarity, and their ability to leave a mark on you. They're powerful, and the words in them aren't ordinary. I believe they are a kind of magic - as much magic as exists in this plain, mundane world from day to day. And WAITING FOR THE STORM is one of those books.

    (Lordy, look at me, I'm tearing up. I promised myself I wouldn't cry.)

    Thank you so much for writing this book. It's honest and raw, and hard to read at times, but WORTH IT. Charlotte's journey really spoke to me, and I hope with all my heart that it speaks to others, as well. There's so much wisdom in those pages, so much hope and heart, and joy, and grief that needs to be experienced.

    You have a special, amazing talent, my friend. I am so so glad to see you putting it to use, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be a beta reader and helping you (in some teensy way) craft WAITING FOR THE STORM into your best book yet.

    I know your Grama is cheering you on, wherever she is. Gramas are special, (crying again), and they are a kind of magic, just like your book is. I know she was a big supporter of yours, and I bet if you could see her now, she'd have a big smile on her face for you.

    Wishing you ALL the success that you deserve,

    Love,

    Molli

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's today! Happy book birthday! Hope it goes fantastically awesome for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Didn't have enough time before work to comment, especially since I just barely got my post up, lol, so I'm doing so now...

    I am SOOO SOOO happy for you! It is always so exciting to see my writer friends publish their books, but especially you since you're more than just a writer friend to me. :) Thank you for letting me read this wonderful story! I can't wait to read what you have up your sleeve next. ^_^

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting Ramblings of a Daydreamer! I love hearing what you have to say, and I appreciate every single comment. I hope to see you here again soon! ♥
~Marie

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