Proof Time: Number 2!

These last few months have been very busy for me, full of further editing, grammatical editing, formatting like crazy, creating a cover, creating a back cover, coming up with a book summary, and finalizing everything. This time around we have a family friend who is doing some good hard editing for us, and actually we are still waiting on the last few edits. But that’s not the point. The point is everything else in in place and we have

ORDERED THE PROOF!!!!!!!!

This is the main big step to actually getting it published.

The proof is basically a sample copy of how the book will look. Once we get it, we can approve it if we like it, or make changes. Once we’re satisfied, we click approve and then it’s only a matter of days before it releases to the public.

I am so excited right now! Our original goal was to submit it and release to the public May 1st, but unfortunately, that’s not going to quite happen because the proof probably won’t arrive for a week or two, and then there’s still the few days of finalizing everything. But hopefully sometime in May!

Overall, we are very, very, very close! I’ll keep you all posted! Thanks for your support!

— J.C. :D

2015 Updates

Happy new year everybody! Is it already 2015? Anyway, a few new things to share today.

First of all, if you haven’t already, check out the Hidden Amethyst TV Show Trailer! (The actual episode, from what I understand, is planned to release soon.) The director did a great job and I will post the second the episode releases, but until then…there’s a trailer to watch!

Secondly, I know most of you are probably wondering the status regarding my next book. I have been writing and editing this book pretty much around the clock since February 2014, and finally, we have reached the final stage. All that’s left to do is 1) me to rewrite the ending one last time and 2) do the final read-through with my parents. Then we format, clarify the cover (the cover photo is already taken) and send it off for proofs. After proofs, where we do one final lookthrough, to the public it goes! I know this sounds like a long time, but in reality, we’re hoping for that release date to be sometime next month. 

Also, make sure to check out my ‘More Like Me?’ page I’ve just added on my blog! This is the page for books that no one really knows about, the books written by young writers like me! Please take the time today to check out or even read these books. I will add to the list as I discover more writers.

Finally, if you want to hear my opinions on books, please check out beyondtheamethyst.blogspot.com, which is my blog where I review books. This 2015, I’ve challenged myself to read 200 books, and I’m going to try to review most of them and post the reviews there.

Thank you for stopping by The Hidden Amethyst! If you have any questions, you can reach me at thehiddenamethyst@gmail.com.

P.S. I’m still accepting readers’ drawings if you have a favorite character/scene drawing from Hidden Amethyst you want to send me! Via email is best. :)

Updates, Updates, Updates!

The title says it all.

Recently I have started another blog separate from this one just for fun, one which I titled Beyond the Amethyst. While The Hidden Amethyst covers about me and book updates, Beyond the Amethyst is simply for my random endeavors at crafting, arts, and more, but it focuses on book reviews—a Goodreads page outside of Goodreads. :P  Anyway, there’s not much on there at the moment, but feel free to check it out. 

beyondtheamethyst.blogspot.com

Onto my next news: Eli (the one who is making the Hidden Amethyst TV show) contacted me recently to 1) send me the scenes he had filmed (and wow are they awesome) and 2) to tell me that his release date is next Saturday (the 20th)!!! He will post it on YouTube then and when he does I will post about it immediately. Take it from someone who’s seen parts of the film when I say it’s awesome so far!! Anyway, you’ll all have a chance to see it within a few weeks! :)

As to my next book, you’re probably all longing for an update, so here it is. I finally (finally finally finally finally) finished it! Not just writing. I finished editing, finished rewriting….All that’s left is to touch it up with my parents. Should be out within a few months! As to titles, we have quite a few leads…work in progress. I’ll keep you updated!!!

Step 2 Complete!

Hello everybody and yay!…My edited draft of my next book is FINISHED! As much as I love this story and writing it, I have to admit it’s nice to be done! So now all there’s to do is edit with my parents and formatting. We’re still shooting to release it by the end of summer, but that could change depending on how long editing takes. I’ll keep you all updated.

Also, new Hidden Amethyst news: I told you all I’m writing a short e-prequel to The Hidden Amethyst. Well, I finally have a title! I am calling it (drumroll) Hiding the Amethyst. This short little story will cover all the character’s backstories—their parents, where they were born, how the evil fairies came to be and (in some cases) how they turned to evil, plus so much more. I am having a ton of fun with this, so I can’t wait for you to read it!

 Also, if you’ve read The Hidden Amethyst, feel free to draw a picture of your favorite character/scene and send it to me via email: thehiddenamethyst@gmail.com   I can’t wait to see them!

Hidden Amethyst News!!

Hey everybody! I know you’re all probably super excited about my next book (I know I am), but you’re probably also wondering, what’s next for Amethyst? 

A few weeks ago I’d given up on Amethyst: I’d tried prequel ideas, sequel ideas, and spin-off ideas, but nothing was working. Plus I had a lot more ideas for books, and I didn’t really want to return to Amethyst. Still, I didn’t want to disappoint my readers, so I came up with a compromise.

As of now, I’m planning on this: I’m going to write a short, 20-50 page prequel to The Hidden Amethyst: all the characters’ backstories and so forth. Instead of publishing it, I’m going to post it here, on my blog, for free download. So you can read about Amethyst’s history, and I still have time to work on other new books.

I don’t know when this will take place, but I’m hoping to have it available by the end of the year. 

Stay tuned for more updates on Amethyst and my next book—:D

Step 1 Complete!

Yippee yay yay!! I am ecstatic right about now. You probably want to know why. Well, guess what I finished writing a few days ago?

My first draft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I’ve posted something like this before, about my last novel attempt, but remember I ditched that idea and started a new one. (Which, by the way, is 1,000 times better!)

243 pages and about 59,000 words (11,000 more than The Hidden Amethyst)! Plus, I wrote this in a little under 3 months, which is my record. I’ve never written that fast in my life. But like I’ve said, I’ve been super excited about this book. I love it!

So now we’re onto editing! I’m doing some editing on my own, but mostly it’s me and my parents. We’re going through, changing things, and fixing any holes in the story, etc. It should take a couple months, hopefully.

And no. We still have no title. However, I have quite a few ideas. I can promise you as soon I have one I will share it here!

And that’s mostly all, I think. Hoping for it to be out early fall! :)

Next Book Update!

I have been working like crazy on my next novel these days—it’s pretty much all I’m doing: writing. That and reading.
Anyways, I posted in September I had my first draft finished. I also said that because of that, it would come out sooner. You might be wondering where I’m at now. Editing stage? Formatting? Even better, about to publish?

Sadly, and fortunately, no.

In mid-January, my parents and I started to go over my draft I’d written about in September. My parents and I realized two things, going over it:  I realized my writing had improved. I also realized my storyline was failing. Again. I’m good at writing but I’m not so good at coming up with sturdy and intriguing plots that will work as novels. (I’m not even going to mention how much editing we needed to do on The Hidden Amethyst!) My problem, or why it was so bad, was mainly I kept it a secret until I had grown attached to it and the characters. In other words: Big mistake. Don’t do it.

Eight months away from our hoping-to-be release, I throw my previous draft in the trash (not literally) and decide to start fresh. Above, I say sadly, and fortunately, no. Sadly for the readers. Fortunately for me—My parents helped me come up with a great storyline that is destined to succeed! I know it was still a great choice because I still think that now, almost three months later. Also it’s fortunately because the other story was horrible compared to this one. So I’m glad the previous one got thrown out, otherwise I never would have discovered this one. And more good news is, I shouldn’t be ditching it anytime soon. I am LOVING this one five hundred million times more than the previous one I had. Besides, the plot is working 100%—unlike these previous drafts, I, amazingly enough, know where my story is going! No more blindly writing paragraphs and hoping they will fit in. I know where to head my story, how it’ll end, and so forth. So I can guarantee you the story I am talking about is the same story you will be reading by the end of the year!

Built-In Writing Tip: Write a story you’re extremely passionate about, like I did. You want to see the results?

When I was writing my previous draft, I liked it, but I didn’t love love it like this one. It took me 5-6 months to get to 145 pages.
When I was writing this book, which I LOVE, it took me only a month and a half to get to 145 pages. 

So, even though I started a brand-new story at the last minute, the deadline should, hopefully, stay around our original plan, which was August. We’re planning the cover already and editing along the way, which has been super essential to getting the story right, not to mention getting it done faster.

And…that’s the update. Yay!! I can’t wait for you all to read it….

The Question Everyone's Asking...

So the question everyone's been asking is: When is your next book coming out?
Well, here's a quick update!

I AM planning on publishing another book, and: I am just about finished with my first draft! (Yay!) I have been working on it since April or May. I have started a LOT of drafts this year that have failed, but this one (yay, yay, yay) works! It is NOT going to be a sequel to The Hidden Amethyst, but a different story. However, after this book, I am planning on writing a sequel.
As I said, I am on the brink of finishing it, I should today or tomorrow. (Sorry, I don't have any titles to share yet.) However, do not get your hopes up; the book will not be out for probably another year. 

After I finish it, the next big step is rewriting and editing. I have to make sure it all lines up, the story makes sense, I probably will have to delete and add characters, change characters' names, and then rewriting sections that don't work.
And then my parents and I have to go through it, and then there's the formatting process...The good news is: I was planning for my release date to be next August, but I was also originally planning to get the first draft finished by Christmas. The fact that I'm nearly finished now means it should be out sooner!! :) I'll let you know when we have a release date.