Bliss....

I was supposed to write this post two days ago, but I didn't.
My family came to visit, and I got caught up with them, in addition to the second book's progress.

It's been a surprisingly blissful week. I had my share of messages, reviews, and more readers.
Therefore, I'm writing this post to try and share some insights about the way Ignite Me (A Burning Desire Novel #2) is coming along; which is smoothly, and safely.
Also, and despite my best friends effort to convince me otherwise, I think I need to argue some points with everyone who's curious enough about the books, or the author, to come on this page and read my posts.
First things first, I'll start with Ignite Me:

When I started putting together the story of Landon and  Clea, I wasn't sure I wanted to make it a series.
I had a story about a girl, who's been broken, but never really knew the reason she was. Clea's psychological trauma couldn't be developed in one book, and the fact that she was only saved by Jude, and  then meeting Landon, made it further clear for me that I needed to write a series.
As the author, I have my own perspective about the direction the series is going to take. Nevertheless, I don't want to disappoint any reader who loved the story,and I'm going to try and satisfy every individual who read and loved Consume Me, in spite of all the problems it faced the first three days of its publication.

I have an important information for everyone who's following the series.
I, the author, am a Non-Native English speaker, and that alone, turned out to be a bigger challenge in the writing process. When you live in a country, where people praise your pronunciation all the time, and your knowledge of English literature, you get much more confident than you're supposed to be, if not cocky.
I have no doubt that if I'd written this book in French, I might have excelled.
When I first came to the United States, I thought I had my English figured out. I had plenty of friends and family, who understood me perfectly, and I had a rich vocabulary with all the reading, music and movies I'd been through. Even my professors in college praised it, and helped me improve it.
I chose to write in English, because I love it, and I thought that with a good styling and vocabulary, it would at least be an average first try, that would evolve with each book; and hopefully it will.
My only wish is that you support my choice, continue to give me your feedback, and don't stop reading my books, even if you get them for free.
Money wasn't the purpose, and it will never be, I just aim to share my stories with people who would grow to love and appreciate them, as I did with other stories.

That being said, Ignite me is coming along well. I'm obsessed with the editing process, and got every possible proofreading software, in addition to Alicia, my dear friend, and editor. I finished the sixth, and seventh chapters only an hour ago, and proofread it with several software programs, before sending it to Alicia.
The editing debacle with Consume Me had me floored and really angry; first at Clay (My second Editor), and then at myself for allowing it to happen.
I still hope that the two thousand readers who purchased it, read my posts and changed to the second edition.

If Ignite Me (A Burning Desire Novel #2), continues to flow at this rate, I might be able to publish it around August 9th, but only if I get satisfied ARC's from readers who would like to list themselves as first readers when the time comes.
Now, concerning the second, or maybe third order of this post:
I was very sad, to get some messages accusing me of plagiarism.
I have no idea why people would accuse me of such a thing, but they did; some compared consume me to Fifty shades, some to The Crossfire series, and a whole lot of other books I'm not afraid to admit that I've read, and loved. (Verify my list on Goodreads)
In some aspects, all the books that were listed, resembled each other, and maybe Consume Me, is no different. I'd stated in my author page on Goodreads, and Facebook, long before the publication, that the story of Clea and Landon, would probably seem common for some people, and unique for others.
Thus why, I need to point to some important Facts:
I have read the Fifty Shades trilogy, and I won't tell the story to how I came to read it, but I did, and I appreciated it as the unconventional love story that it was.
I have read The crossfire series, and every other book authored by Sylvia Day, and loved everything about them.
In fact, I've read many , many books, however, I don't believe that I've written something that resembles any of the above, let alone plagiarize them.
Yes, there are some Romantic commonality, that is how it always was, and always will be, whether in fictive love stories, or real ones.
But please, I'll ask you to continue to read the stories before judging it completely. I believe that with time, and patience from readers, you'll all understand, that this story has uniqueness, and it will be proven throughout the two upcoming books.
I've been on a long literary pilgrimage, while I was writing Consume Me. Moreover, I've written the first encounter of Landon and Clea, on the very marches of Notre Dame they'd met at.
I'm planning to take you to several places throughout the series. I have a group of friends that is similar to the ones you found, and they inspired me to write the stories. That might kill the ideology behind the read for you, but it is true.

I really hope I didn't disappoint you, and that you'll indulge me with your patience, and, dare I say, your support.
There are countless authors and writers out there, I don't expect you to always love my books, but I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and relishing every encouraging message or review, that boosts my determination to offer you a better form, edition, and story.

I'll end this post with my new tradition, and thank everyone who read the book and found the time to send me a message on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon, some of them are just aliases, but if they read this, they'll certainly recognize themselves:

CPS (Amazon), Thank you for your kind words, and encouragement, but mostly for showing excitement about the story.
S. Tibben (Amazon), Thank you for your feedback, and for enjoying the story, despite the bad editing, I hope you got to read the last edition, and maybe enjoy it more.
Redheaded reader: Thank you for your feedback, it fueled my determination to present an impeccable work from now on.
Gisela (Amazon): Thank you for showing such an endearing excitement about the first and second book. You have my eternal gratitude.
Kristi (Amazon): I also thank you for showing your love for Landon, he is a great, unique man, and I'm sure you're going to love him more in the second and third book. Your excitement is heart-warming.
Terry A. Wells (Amazon): I wish I had any other words to describe what I'm feeling, but again, thank you for your advocacy, and kind words.
M. Kerner (Amazon): Thank you for your feedback, I hope you'll like the pace of the second book, especially since, I'm considering your wish. :)
Paloma (Amazon): I'm sorry that you thought what you thought, and hope to meet any expectations you might have for the second book. I still believe it's not the same, and yes I've read and loved 'Jody Ellen Malpas' (July 1st post) and know what you're referring to. I hope you choose to read the rest, and witness the uniqueness of the books, and what it's really about, it was a one time encounter and had nothing to do with the heart of the story.

Finally all of you who joined me on Facebook and Reviewed or rated on Goodreads.
Goodreads readers: I could only read the reviews made by Emily Harris, Pippa Sheridan, Paula Conway and Dawn Hearn, I would like to also thank all of you, for your time, kind words, and support, I don't seem to find the words (and I claim to be a writer!), but you put a smile on my reeling heart. (Figuratively speaking).

All the Facebook Ladies, who are following the Author page and showing eagerness, and waiting for updates.


Edia YJunito - Joy Rapp - Susie Burns - Megan Burke Myers - Gillian Hollins - Shelley Newham Shreeves Hayley Daff - Jessica Lyn Hicks - Elena N Jose Geada - Ashley Weed - Kelly Houlihan - Rhonda Beard - Pauline Binns Wylie - Dana Cosgrove - Paloma Viveiros - Pamela George.

I hope I covered it all, and if not, I'm sorry, and promise to verify, and capitulate on my next post.
I am humbled, and beholden, by your show of kindness and support.

Sincerely,
R. F. Allie.

• • 
    

Cheers! I'll drink to that...

My best friend, who also happens to be a great publicist - not mine though - thinks that I'm too literate and friendly, and that apparently stands as a bad image to literature readers.
I don't agree, and hope that every person who reads my posts, get even more excited about reading my books, as I try to be as transparent as I could possibly be, through my laptop screen and keyboard.
Anyhow...

I'm trying really hard not to sound like a hysterical person and be reasonable...
But it's getting harder, by the minute.
In truth, I've been obsessed with the book. The first one that is.
I've been re-reading it and stumbled upon some editing errors. It was a new whole level of psychotic for me; but you have to understand that it was only because it was done in a record time, after I'd lost the first proofread version and couldn't find the first editor, since she'd went to spend her summer holiday out of the country.
Gladly, she's been back for two days, and re-correcting the last three chapters that I'd changed. I apologize to all those of you who purchased the version with several typos, and I really don't mind if you just go ahead and ask for a refund.
I grew anxious about the publication date, and the fact that I didn't manage to keep my promise to many readers to get it out by June 20th, so I just got careless, stressed and really tired. 
A mistake, that I assure to all of you, would never happen again.
With that being said. I'd like to inform you that the book is having its first promotion today and tomorrow. So feel free to head to your Amazon Accounts, search for it and add it to your kindle.
The link is already listed on my previous post.
But here you go.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQ37EKW

To get back to the title of my post, and tell you what I'm cheerful about and planning to drink to in celebration. What I'm thankful, excited, and happy about are basically three things:

Number #1: MY FIRST REVIEW EVER! From the gal who made the sun shine brighter and the stars twinkle endlessly in the back of my head. Lilian Sand, I'm forever in your gratitude. We're always anxiously waiting for one review, the first one ever, from a reader and not a blog. And you gave me the one thing I was anticipating. But you gave it to me in the most surprising, astounding, just drop-down-and-faint, way ever. So Thank You my Lady, and I'm praying for your little brother, with all my heart.

Number #2: What is better than your first review ever?...
....
....

Your Second Review Ever, Of Course!
The second one, I really wasn't expecting. I thought that, giving the unique circumstances that had led to my first review, there was no way I was getting a second review. Not before, the first promotion or maybe even the third. I was very surprised, especially since I was freaking out about the typos and calling my editor in the middle of her jungle adventure

Thank you Miss L. I'm glad you loved it. I, on the other hand, fell head over heels, for your Gifs selection, and that, no matter how much Clea seemed to frustrate you, you seem to have developed some kind of bond. Also, Gabriel Macht is an excellent choice, as he's also mentioned - or rather his Harvey Spector alias-  Really impeccable taste... Just like mine. 'WINK WINK'

The third news I'm drinking to, well, it's pretty simple really: I started the second installment. Yes, it's official Ladies, Clea, Landon, Jude, Jenna, Ryan and all the others will be back in your life, very soon.
I've decided to change my working routine. I don't expect people and readers to wait a whole year, before getting the rest of their stories. But come on, that wasn't a cliffhanger, now? was it?
If you knew me personally, you'd know that I have a much expanded imagination, and I could have been cruel. However, I think that in my first book , I acted more as a reader, than an author.
Which means: If a passage made me laugh or chuckle, I'd keep it, because I'm a reader.
If a passage made me feel no anticipation, I'd rewrite it, no question asked. And that is probably the reason behind many typos, even after the edit.
But this book...
I just finished the first chapter, half the second and already sent them to get checked for typos and styles.
I'm planning to act as more of a writer; because in truth, as a reader, and a viewer, I know that anticipation is the key-emotion that keeps me eager to learn what would be coming next.

Anyway, if you think that you figured anything out. Please, go ahead and give it another try, because I'm growing eager, excited, and relentless about what I want for the next book.

I promise the first snippet once my blog hits 1500 views. I'm really not far, but you'll never know, so you can either keep coming back to check on me, and, probably get an avant-gout of what's coming, or you can just wait for the second installment to be published.

R.F. Allie: Out!
Have a Great Weekend...

Excited...

Hello Fellow Readers, Visitors, and whomever is receiving this greeting;

I'm writing this post because, something incredible happened to me today:
I woke up a little late, as I'd spent the previous night working on my choice for the book cover. I had a wonderful shoot with the model and a very talented photograph. I'm planning on consecrating a post to his work, as he happens to be one of the few ones I know to care about the content and never ever use a software to polish a picture other than adding some visual effects to adapt it to a specific conceptual scenery.
Anyway, I went through almost four hundred photos working my way to find the beautiful and perfect cover, then, I scrambled through the book a few more times and decided to check my Facebook.
While scrambling through some of my friends' posts, I went to check on my author dashboard. I found eight views on my first post, some more people added the upcoming book on their shelves and it made me smile, hopeful that I might reach enough people who would like to read the story of Amelia Dane and Landon Davis, to share it and cherish it, as I did with so many fictional characters and still do.
( Remind me to tell you what Sylvia Day made me feel with Entwined with you, just a few days ago when I couldn't let go of the boo, until I'd finished it.)
So I was already happy and satisfied with the overall of community that had shared or read my post. But when I got onto my Blogger dashboard and found one hundred and sixty eight views...
I happen to be a very reasonable person and really not greedy, but I just went ecstatic in my living room. 
It may seem like an insignificant number for some people; compared to the millions of Goodreads members, but for me, it meant the world. 
I took a leap of faith when I'd decided to go on and put some old fictional journal into a story. I just happen to be one of you, I read a lot of books, from almost any genre. I watch lots of movies, series in my free time. I work, attend grad school and miraculously, manage to maintain a relationship with a wonderful man.
Publishing "Consume Me", was primarily encouraged by my best friend; he was the first one I'd authorized to read my writings, and always thought that he was being subjective because I was his best friend.
Until one day, I'd written something awful; I was depressed and maybe a little woozy, and it was really, really, really bad. He'd mocked it and criticized it,in form and in content. 
It was hurtful, excruciatingly so. 
"Consume Me" will probably and certainly expose me to negative reviews, as does every book, and as long as they are constructive, I'll manage. Otherwise, I'll just be a big girl and cry myself to sleep in front of a Dexter rerun, remembering it was going to be the last season; and then maybe cry some more over it.           
Even though this post has gone a little out of contest, I'm glad I wrote it, even as a way of putting some scattered thoughts around. It was meant to tell some of you how exciting it felt to have some views, that could announce a platform of friends, readers and followers.
Thanks to all those of you who are revisiting, to those who are first visitors,and to those who added the book to their to-read shelves. I am extremely grateful, you made my day brighter than the sun and for that I have two surprises for whomever is interested.
The first one, is my first teaser of "Consume Me", an excerpt from Chapter four, between my two favorite characters; hopefully, soon-to-be-yours.
The second one, is what you would define as an avant-gout, for the book cover with a beautiful model.

I sincerely hope, with all my heart that this will pleasure you, and maybe make you curious about the rest of the book, along with the series.

Blissfully yours,
R. F. Allie