Laurie Wetzel's Blog

With my health slowly improving after my cancer came back last year, one of my goals for this year was to do more books events. I missed them. I missed meeting readers and fellow authors and talking books and fandoms and just in general, getting my geek on.

The Empire has a new ruler

Last year I did my first ever con event in Rochester, MN called NerdinOut Con and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! So when the lovely Kimberlee Ann Bastian (sister author from Wise Ink) asked if I wanted to join her and another Wise Ink sister Tabitha Lord and a non-Wise Ink author but still really cool Christopher Schmitz at Planet Comicon 3/29-3/31, I was all in.

Planet Comicon was celebrating their 20th anniversary so we knew it was going to be epic and the weekend did not disappoint! There were so many memorable moments. The five of us (Chris brought his friend Shane along who was super cool too) all stayed at this airbnb which felt a bit like summer camp but that only added to the fun. The weekend started off with the great elevator/credential debate from day one which started to feel like the Who’s on first gag.

arrived to set up, but none of the elevators are working. Need credentials to get in, but they are on level 3, which you can’t get to without credentials or the elevator…

Day two brought us trapped by trains and snoring wolverine started day three. I’m pretty sure we will be laughing about these jokes for years to come.

We chatted with tons of lovely readers, some of which are new to the mailing list (hello again!), enjoyed all the cosplayers (seriously some of you guys and gals were amazing!!!),

networked with fellow authors and cover designers, and went a little starstruck over the celebs in celebrity row.

There was one negative to the weekend and that is the disappearance of Unclaimed ebook version on Amazon which is still unresolved as of today. After speaking with several other authors, I discovered that some of their ebooks have also disappeared so it is not isolated to just my book, though no one has any clear answers as to why they are gone. Not sure if we need to call in Sherlock or the Scooby gang, but somebody needs to solve this!

I have many more pictures from the con on my Instagram site if you want to check it out. I am taking the next few months off from events to focus on finishing the edits for Unclaimed 3. In the fall I plan to do more conventions.

Stay tuned for updates on book three including the cover reveal, and release date!!

Always,

Laurie

The post Planet Comicon appeared first on .

Dear readers,

I’m not sure how many of you saw the two posts that went out over the last couple of days, but I wanted to apologize for them. The subject matter was boring, and the writing was mediocre at best.

If you didn’t get a chance to read them before I deleted them, they were more fitting for a magazine – one that barely sells any copies.

If you’re wondering why I’m being so harsh, it’s because the posts

WEREN’T MINE!

That’s right. Some asshat used my site to publish his garbage.

I’ve deleted them and tightened security which will also eliminate the comment issue I had earlier in the year, so it’s two birds, one stone.

There will be new posts coming shortly. Next year is going to be crazy, and I promise to update you soon! Cough, cough, Unclaimed 3.

Now then.

To the loser that hacked me,

The writing community is unique. It’s one where we help strangers, who in some sense are our competitors (though we don’t see it that way), by giving them our opinions on their pieces. Typically, they do the polite thing and respectfully ask, but that would require manners and common decency. Now, since you chose to publish your work on MY site, I assume that’s what you want – my opinion on your work.

Unfortunately, I did delete your post about religion (funny how a criminal does one on that topic. Maybe you need to research it more…), so I cannot offer my advice on it. I can work on your relationship one, though.

Here is my critique…

First, you should know that Grammarly only gave you a score of 46 out of 100.

Yes, I put it in Grammarly.

Why?

For fun.

Also, you made the big mistake of ticking off a Scorpio.

Now for your title:

A Guide that is Complete to Relationships: All You Need To Understand

What does that even mean? Who is your audience? And what makes you think you can write on that topic when you don’t have friends, let alone a romantic partner?

Now, I’m not going post any more of the actual article, because I’m not putting my readers through that again. And it’s not an appropriate subject matter for this site.

I will, however, share that you have 17 typos within the first four paragraphs. I didn’t read beyond that because you’ve wasted enough of my time as it is.

I do want to thank you though.

You’ve given me a new idea for a story!

The sassy heroine (not you), reaches out to a brilliant friend who is a computer genius ((ends up being her love interest (also not you)), because some worthless, waste of space hacked into her computer and made her life a living nightmare (any similarities between you and the waste of space are coincidental)

I don’t want to give too much of it away, but in the end, the bad guy dies. Right now, I’m thinking slips on a banana peel off a cliff. It could change though.

Don’t hold your breath for its release (or do). I have other books that are a lot higher of a priority than this one.

OH!

For anyone who may be curious, my Grammarly score was 95/100. (I left the one sentence fragment in because I wanted it that way)

The post Recent posts appeared first on .

Hello!

I have turned off the comment sections on my site due to obnoxious spammers (they ruin all the fun, don’t they).

Readers, please know that I love hearing from you and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Check back soon for an update on the third book in the Unclaimed Series!

Always,

Laurie

The post Comments appeared first on .

Those of you who were at any of my events at Barnes & Noble stores this past weekend probably have a good idea of what I’m about to say, but for those who weren’t, have I got a story for you.

Hang on. Things are going to get crazy.

But first, we need to go back.

All the way back to November.

For the past couple years, I’ve participated in an annual writing competition called NaNoWriMo. It’s this online thing were writers all over the globe demonstrate just how crazy we all are by challenging ourselves to write 50,000 words within the month of November. For those of you who don’t know how massive that is, this post is now on word 120.

Only 49,880 to go! Woot!

For this past November I had planned on starting Unclaimed book 4. I like to have at least the first draft of the next book done before I begin editing my current book which would be book 3. I did the same for the previous 2 books and this format allows me to drop in little hints of what’s to come. Anywho, days before NaNo started, a new story rudely interrupted my dreams which is where all my stories come from. It happens a lot actually. Typically I write down the highlights if the story is good so I don’t forget it, and go back to dreaming about the story I want to work on. So I did that, only problem is, this new story wouldn’t shut up. It refused to leave my mind no matter how hard I tried to steer it back to Unclaimed 4.

I caved.

I gave that impatient story what it wanted and that was to be told. To fly across the screen of my laptop as I furiously worked to get the words out for NaNo. And honestly, I was okay with it, but this story is really good too. Very out of the box for me. Which had me a little intimidated. But it was so, so good. And after several nights of dreaming this story, just like with Unclaimed, I wanted to keep dreaming it so I could see where it went.

It’s dark.

It’s twisted.

Some scenes were hard to see.

But I loved it.

NaNo came and went and I slaughtered the 50,000 goal as I have the previous years. But I didn’t finish the story. Looking back now, I don’t think I wanted to. With Unclaimed, it’s different because it’s a series. I will be in that world for years to come. But this one is a stand alone. It’s a one and done. So I put it away for a few months and went back to revising Unclaimed 3 & starting Unclaimed 4.

Then Camp NaNo came along which is a smaller version of the biggy. For these ones, you can pick your goal. It can be 100 words or thousands. Totally up to you. The camps happen twice a year, in April and July. Several members of my writer’s group wanted to try the April camp, so I thought what the heck. I might as well finish that story. Enough time had passed and I was ready to put the ending on the screen. Plus, it was nagging again.

I edited earlier parts, rewrote some scenes, and finished the ending.

Still with me?

Good.

Here is where things start to get crazy.

Around the time of the camp, I heard about a contest on Twitter where you could pitch dark stories to agents and publishers who are looking for them. And that’s what this story is. It’s a young adult thriller. The contest was #pitdark. I had done Twitter pitch parties in the past and they are a great way to submit to agents and publishers. The date for the contest was May 12th so that left very little time to whip my story into shape in case anyone did ask me to submit.

So I enlisted the help of my wonderful hubs and some trusted readers to help speed through it and fix any flaws. They had amazing suggestions and the book became even better.

The day of the contest I was mostly ready. The story was good to go, but I hadn’t had time to whip up a query letter or synopsis. (for those who don’t know what they are, they are nasty little buggers that help get agents and publishers interested in the story and they are required.) So in between sending out hourly tweets to pitch my story (scheduled tweets during the hours I was at work) I worked on my query and synopsis.

Oh yeah! I was also battling pneumonia, which is why my query and synopsis weren’t ready. (I got better. The meds helped. Don’t worry.)

Throughout the contest, something wonderful happened. Agents and publishers were liking my tweets which meant they wanted me to submit to them!

By contest end, 10 places had requested to read either samples or the full story of this new, dark story with an additional 3 places allowing anyone who was in the contest to submit to them for a total of 13 places.

For any writer who has gone through this, you know what comes next.

Limbo.

When sending your story out, 1 of 3 things happens, each of which you’re trying desperately and failing miserably to not watch your email like a hawk.

You’re rejected immediately. The email is a standard form rejection that they send to everyone, but it still stings. If you aren’t immediately rejected, you move on to…
You wait. And wait. And wait to hear back. Average response time is 4-6 weeks, though some companies never reply if they aren’t interested. During that time you tell yourself stories about how not rejecting it right away has to be a good sign. It means they are considering it, right? Sometimes, but not always. Which bring us to…
They liked it and want to read more. Sometimes they want just a little bit more. A partial. Sometimes they want it all. And you repeat the waiting, but this time, it’s harder to not watch your emails. And your heart flutters each time you get an email notification, even the ones that are spam. Oh, that sucks. But then you see the name of a place reading your story and your heart goes into overdrive, wondering if you will be rejected or if by some miracle, they will still like it.

For this story, I went through all that. I had a couple of all three. After the first couple rejections, I submitted to two places outside the twitter contest, bringing my total number of submissions to 15.

That was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

May 29th, Saturday, I missed a phone call from an agent wanting to discuss my story with me.

May 30th, Monday, (Memorial Day) I talked with the agent and he was interested in representing me. He sent me a blank contract to look at while he finished reading my story and we would talk again at the end of the month.

May 31st, Tuesday, I had a new email from one of the two new agencies. (yes, they only had it since Friday) They wanted to read the full. Now this particular agency was one I’d had my eye on. I had submitted to them in the past, but was rejected. I submitted to them again now because I still liked them. They are a very reputable, well-known and well-liked, agency. But that also means they are very busy. A request for a full from them usually doesn’t happen that quickly. Especially right after a holiday weekend. So I sent it to them.

A few more requests for fulls came in from several other places, both agents and a publisher from the twitter contest.

I was in shock. Thankfully I had many events to keep my mind off of it both book-wise and family.

I talked with other authors and my friend/editor for advice. This is all new to me.

Yes, I have books out, but I never got this far with regards to submitting for the “Traditional Route”. When I was submitting for Unclaimed, I got lucky and found Wise Ink pretty early on. I loved them and still do! But I wanted to try something different for this story.

June 7th, Tuesday, I heard back from the 2nd agent, wanting to chat about my story.

June 9th, Thursday, we talked. And it was amazing. Not only did she love the story, but she offered to represent me!!!!!!!!

As I said, they are a very busy place. Their query reader is months behind. I have friends who have queries out with them who have been waiting and waiting and they wanted to know how in the world I got such a fast reply. The agent told me. With their reader being behind, the agent had a slow day and decided to read through the queries herself. That’s when she found mine the day I submitted and she loved it which is why she asked for the full that Tuesday.

Hearing that . . . I don’t know. It’s like I felt like the planets had aligned for us to work together. There was just something that felt so right while we were talking. As badly as I wanted to say yes to her right then and there, I didn’t. Here is why:

Having the story out with other places, what we’re supposed to do is take time to think about the offers and during that time, let those still reading it know an offer has been made. I did that. Some offered their congrats and backed out. A few wanted to know when my deadline was and who the agency was. I told them. The deadline was this week. I wasn’t sure I could make it a week without caving and calling her back and being like YES! YES! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS CHEESY (they’re in Wisconsin) I ACCEPT!!!

But I restrained.

During the weekend, as I said in the beginning, I had multiple B&N events. It was B-fest, their first ever book festival for teens. I had 4 events over the weekend between 3 different B&N stores. It was crazy, but it helped keep my mind preoccupied. I talked at the events about it and each time, I so wanted to say I’m going to say yes. Because again it felt right.

June 12th I sent her an email asking if she was free to talk this week. Who accepts something this big over email?

No.

No way.

This needed to be said.

June 13th, Monday, was crazy-booked, so as much as I didn’t want to, I had to wait until Tuesday to tell her the good news.

June 14th, Tuesday, came. We talked. And I told her the good news. YES!!! And she was ecstatic too!! She sent me the contract which brings me too…

 

Drum roll please….

…

..

.

June 15th, Wednesday, I signed and I am now officially represented by Linda Scalissi, 3 Seas Literary Agency.

 

 

I am notifying the few places that were still interested in the story and letting them know.

I am beyond thrilled and excited to work with Linda! Our journey has just begun. Next step is editing that story to submit it to publishers. That will be crazy too and I promise to keep you all in the loop.

 

Always,

Laurie

Oh! And anyone still keeping word count, 1904

Hello lovely readers!!

I have made some changes to the website that I hope you will love. The most important are the progress bars! These little gems are to help you know what is happening with my books! Unclaimed 3 is at the top and unfortunately it’s behind schedule. SORRY! I just wasn’t happy with it and I didn’t want to rush it and publish it anyway. I knew if I didn’t like it, you’d hate it!

Supernatural (we have gifs for everything)

Once I finish revising it, it will move on to my editor. While it may not seem like there is much left on it, the progress bar didn’t have an option for “fixing what sucks” so I had to settle for a word count which isn’t very accurate.

The other two books are among the many that are clambering to be let out of my mind.

They are very anxious to meet you!

 

Don’t forget to check out the latest books I’m reading in the Reader’s Corner! There are two really great ones I think you’ll enjoy.

Always,

Laurie

The post Newness! appeared first on .

This site is precious to me. This is an extra step that I choose to do to help bridge the gap between me and my lovely readers. I recently renovated it, adding features and doing what I can to make it simple and user friendly. It’s new to you. It’s new to me. And when things are new, they’re exciting and I have so many more ideas for this site that I hope to roll out soon.

 

 

 

 

But before the newness had a chance to fade, they came.

They found me. They came in droves, like mindless zombies coming to kill or infect everything they touch.

Who are they, you ask.

An awful, evil little lot known as

Spammers.

Ugh. They are everywhere like ants at a picnic. Commenting their nonsense on every available surface. Thankfully it’s all behind the scenes so you don’t have to see it unless I approve it. But the stuff they come up with…

This site is awesome! (okay, biased here, but that’s probably true) Your articles have helped me immensely. You’ve saved me many hours of research.

My articles as in the free chapters of my books or my greeting???

Your site is fantastic!
Who is your host?
What theme are you using?
What is your RSS feed?

Umm, no. If someone truly wanted to know these questions to help build their site, that’s different. But the authors of these comments have posted other spam-messages too.

Others are almost book-length and change languages several times within that comment.

But the funniest one I found when I gave over 600 of them the ax the other day is this jewel:

 Doh! I was domain name searching at namecheap.com and went to type

in the domain name: http://lauriewetzel.com/my-books/ignited/ and guess who already had it?

That’s right. I do. I mean, it is my name and my book. Silly me.

Some people.

Don’t get me wrong though. I enjoy looking through comments when they’re actual comments from you. My lovely readers.

You all put a smile on my face

Plus, now that I’m currently working on the third and fourth books in the Unclaimed Series, your comments and reviews are helping me. There are some things you guys ask that I think are better answered by the characters so I have actually added a few things in to the third book to help clear away any misconceptions that some readers are getting that others aren’t. So please, keep commenting and reviewing.

As for the spammers…

Look, it’s not personal. It’s you, not me. I know you’re not going to read this. You haven’t actually read anything you’ve commented on yet. But I don’t care. This is my site. These are my readers. And you’re done. I’ve upgraded my anti-spam protection so that is the last of you. You won’t be missed. Goodbye!

Now back to writing

Always,

Laurie

The post Comment if you dare appeared first on .

IgnitedWith less than 4 weeks until the release on August 10th, I thought I would give you all a little treat by sharing a few chapters before then. This post is chapter one. Enjoy :)
CHAPTER ONE
Maddy
I’m dating an angel.
Up until yesterday, I thought they didn’t exist. Now I’m falling in love with one.
Considering the insane events that have happened in the last five days—especially the last twenty-four hours—I shouldn’t be focusing on what MJ is. I am, though.
Whether or not I believed in them, angel references are everywhere. They appear in books, movies, and TV, wearing anything from white togas to trench coats. Their image has been made into figurines and appears on jewelry and even clothes. They’re a symbol of hope that billions of people all over the world have accepted. Some people pray to them daily, assured in their beliefs; others do it in times of desperation, when all hope seems lost. So many people have prayed for a miracle—prayed for proof that someone is listening.
Why then was I chosen over all of them?
I glance over at MJ lying beside me on Hiniker Bridge. He’s staring at the clouds with his head resting on his arms. It’s easy to forget what he is. His short brown hair is messy as if only his fingers have touched it, his hazel eyes suck me in no matter how far apart we are, and his smile shines brighter than high beams on the darkest night. He wears plain white shirts and dark jeans, and somehow on him they look better than a designer outfit—not that I wouldn’t mind seeing him in one. The only thing keeping him from being perfect is the silence coming from his chest.
My heart stutters, pounding out the truth I can’t ignore. MJ is dead.
He is dead and I am not.
A sigh unintentionally leaves my lips.
MJ rolls to face me. “What is it?”
I offer a weak smile. “Nothing.”
He reaches out, taking my hand. A buzzing jolt of energy—his essence—courses through my body, searching for any clues as to what upset me. He frowns, not liking whatever he found.
“No more secrets, remember?”
All morning we’ve been sharing small details of our lives, making good on the promise we made yesterday. MJ’s asked me about school, hobbies, and music. I’ve asked about places he’s traveled and what foods he’d like to try now that he can taste again. As nice as it is to have time like this—where everything is calm—we’re both deflecting.
He’s distracting me from thinking about yesterday—the worst day of my life. I’m avoiding anything even remotely related to his angelic side. But we can’t avoid it forever. At some point, we’ll have to talk about it if I want to have a true relationship with him.
I take a deep breath. Talking to MJ has always been easier than talking to anyone else, but it’s still uncomfortable baring my thoughts to him. He could pop the barrier I put between the world and myself as if it were no more than a bubble. I’m not sure I want him to—at least not yet.
As I release my held breath, I prepare myself for answers I’ll probably never be ready to hear. “Why don’t you have a halo, white gown, or wings?”
He snorts and then releases my hand, running his fingers through his hair. “That does look pretty on church windows and on top of Christmas trees, doesn’t it?”
I blush and nod, hoping I haven’t just insulted him.
His lips twitch, fighting a grin. “The halo is a myth. They were used in literature and art dating back to the first century to signify a holy being. It represents our light, and by that I mean good versus evil. The white gown and wings are true, though.”
I expected the gown to be true, seeing as Elizabeth wore one, but not the wings. Where are hers? Where are MJ’s? Every image I’ve seen of angel wings flows through my mind. There are so many, and they’re all so different, each pair beautiful in its own way. I’m sure MJ’s would be amazing.
“So where are your wings?” My stomach winds into knots, and my heart quickens. This is it. If I see them, there’s no turning back—no way to unsee them. As scary as it is, I want this. I want to prove to us both that I can handle this.
His eyes darken, and he frowns. Even though we’re right next to each other, it suddenly feels as if many miles separate us. “Hidden.”
“Can I see them?”
“No.”
His words are like an earthquake shaking my foundation. “Why not?”
“It’s against the rules for angels and demons to unglamour them. And while I’m breaking many rules lately, that’s one I have to keep. If an angel like me, a Protector, were to unglamour his or her wings, it would send a pulse through the air that calls to our kind—almost like a battle cry or call to arms in war. We don’t need that kind of attention right now. I nearly lost you yesterday—I won’t let that happen again.”
My eyes clamp shut in defense as I’m bombarded with images from yesterday. The dead old woman in the bathtub . . . My sister, Hannah, tied to a chair . . . Justin’s ludicrous toast to me and my abilities . . . Learning he and MJ are dead . . . Witnessing MJ’s death from hundreds of years ago from inside Elizabeth’s magic fountain . . . Ben’s death . . .
Ben.
My hands still feel covered in blood from trying to save him. The pain in his eyes as he begged me to forgive him will haunt me forever.
As horrifying as all that is, one piece from yesterday can still destroy everything—the Binding Agreement. The final moments of my time in Justin’s house are a blur. The evil contract that binds my soul to Justin for eternity was on the wall. The feather pen, filled with my blood, was less than an inch from touching it. One drop on the parchment was all he needed to seal the deal. One drop, and he’d own my soul for eternity.
I don’t know if any of my blood touched the contract before MJ arrived. I don’t know if Justin owns me. If he does, he could show up at any moment and take me away. I know that’s why MJ won’t leave me alone. I’m glad, though. Eternity with Justin would be worse than Hell.
My lip quivers. Instantly, MJ is beside me, wrapping his arms around me as he pulls us into a seated position. I snuggle into his chest as his essence enters me again. It fills the ever-present hole in my heart and reduces my fear.
I didn’t know relationships could be like this—feel this good. A single touch from him dissolves my problems until they’re so small they no longer seem like problems at all. Even without his essence, I know his touch would comfort me and bring me strength. It means he’s here for me, ready and waiting for me to let him in. Me, I’m working on it.
“Hey,” he whispers. “I’m right here. Let me help you.”
I sigh and bury my head farther into his chest. His arms tighten around me, and he places a kiss in my hair. A pulse of his essence ripples through me from my head to my toes.
“Please,” MJ begs. “After everything you’ve been through, the last thing I want is to make things harder for you, but we have to figure out how to stop your emotions from manifesting into the environment. While I will be forever grateful that your storm led me to you last night, things could have been a lot worse if other beings were in town.”
I turn in his arms and peek up at him, not understanding what he meant. “Why?”
“Your storm wasn’t natural—just like the clouds you’ve created now. There is a charge in the air, almost like waves of energy, pulsing around you—anxiously waiting to see what you require next. It’s not strong enough for mortals to detect. Immortals, though, would seek out the source, just as I did last night. They can use your own ability to find you. We’ve been lucky so far, but luck doesn’t last forever.”
I peek up at the sky. Dark storm clouds cover every inch. The lowest ones swirl above us, threatening to swoop down and swallow us.
Justin’s words come back to haunt me: It was supposed to be a mild October, yet it’s been cloudy and raining off and on since the night you met me. Your fears have blocked out the sun.
I glare at the darkened sky, hating that it reflects the emotions battling inside me. It’s as if I have my own Bat Signal in the sky. Except mine isn’t cool. Mine says, “Hey, all you angels and demons—here’s the girl you’re looking for. Come and get her.”
“I don’t know how to turn it off,” I say. “I don’t even know if it’s possible. Am I just supposed to walk around on autopilot, unaffected by the world around me just so the sky stays blue?”
MJ lifts my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. I melt a little, seeing the softness that exists only for me.
“I didn’t mean that. What you can do”—he looks at the sky—“it’s nothing I’ve ever seen before. But we’ll figure it out. Together. And it will be easier if you talk to me.”
Together. I like the sound of that. I take a deep breath and rest back against MJ.
“I was thinking about the contract.”
He stiffens. “I will never let him—or anyone else—take you from me. You, Maddy, are my heart. You’re my everything.”
“If it’s signed, there’s nothing you can do.”
“There is one thing.”
Hope sparks in my heart, growing stronger with each beat. “What?”
“Do you know what demons do when a good man goes to war?”
“No.”
“They run.”
“Are you saying you’d start a war for me?” I joke.
“The war began long before either of us was born. For you, I’d do what my side has longed for and what the other side has feared. I’d fight.”
I gasp and pull back, staring into his hazel eyes. There isn’t a trace of humor or fear in them. He would go to war for me.
A battle rages inside me—one side protesting with handmade antiviolence signs, the other side gearing up to fight alongside him. I’ve never meant that much to someone before. It’s oddly comforting. The battle inside quiets as both sides are suddenly united by one common thread: MJ.
He tilts his head up. “There now. That’s better.”
I follow his gaze to the once-again-clear sky.
Surprisingly, that was easy. But it was only easy because he makes the bad things seem manageable.
“When your emotions are bearing down on you and affecting the environment,” he begins, “try distracting yourself with feelings that match what the weather is supposed to be doing. Like camouflage. I know it’s not a perfect solution, but it’ll work in the time being.”
I stare at the pristine shade of robin’s-egg blue that only exists on perfect days. The hope I found moments ago—the hope he created—becomes so large, it feels as if it will burst out of me at any moment. This could work. Maybe not forever, but it’s a decent start.
MJ hugs me. My heart, once again whole, quickens. My stomach dips. My arms tingle, and I wrap them around him, wishing this moment would never end.
“If you’re up for it, there’s another one of your abilities I’d like to work on today.”
Last night when we talked about my “abilities,” I hadn’t grasped what it meant. I was still so raw from everything that had happened. Even today, it’s hard to think about my abilities—and even harder to hear him talk about them. I want him to see me, not some girl who does all these strange, crazy things.
My gaze roams his face, trying to dissect his thoughts. A slight smile rests on his lips, but his eyes are wide and bright. Emotions are new to him. He isn’t good at hiding them. Whatever he wants to do, he’s eager or excited about it.
I stand and move to the railing, looking out at the pond. The sky reflects off the glassy surface. The bright sun that appeared moments ago is now hidden behind clouds again. The reflection dissipates as a small flock of geese swim through it. On shore, fallen leaves crunch as animals scurry about. Their lives are simple—eat and sleep. Mine used to be simple too. But even after everything that has happened, do I want to go back to that? I don’t know.
MJ moves beside me. “What did I—”
“Nothing.”
“We both know that’s not true. Tell me. Please.”
Lying would be easier. It always has been. Then we could go on with our day, pretending nothing is wrong. But lies build until one day there is a hole in our relationship the size of the Grand Canyon, with me standing alone on one side, and MJ standing alone on the other. That’s what happened with my family and friends. I don’t want that to happen with us. It can’t happen to us.
I turn and meet his gaze. “It’s just, twenty-four hours ago I was mostly normal.”
I stop. Saying it out loud makes it so much realer than in my head. I’m not normal. So what am I? Tears line my eyes, my heart races, and my lip quivers as I try to fight my emotions long enough to tell him how I feel.
“Now I’m this thing that has all these abilit—”
“Don’t,” he says, his face flinching as if in pain. “Don’t ever talk like that again. Do you have any idea of the depth of my emotions for you? And then to hear you say such awful things about yourself . . . These abilities don’t define you. Only you can do that. All they do is show the rest of the world something I knew the moment I saw you.”
“What’s that?”
“That you, Maddy Page, are unique. On your gorgeous outside, you appear just as helpless as any other mortal, but you’re not. It’s a trick. Smoke and mirrors. You’re stronger than many of the angels and demons I’ve come across. And that is a good thing. Because what you do to me—what you make me feel—is a gift of the utmost importance, and it needs to be protected. You have the potential to change everything. When you do, there will finally be peace for all beings Father created. But until that day, your safety is in danger. Which is why we need to do everything we can to figure out how your abilities work. Once you understand them, you can utilize them to their fullest extent.”
I swallow the lump in my throat that grew as he spoke. I hadn’t thought beyond today, let alone me changing the world.
“What if I don’t want my abilities? What if I just want to be normal?”
A deep ridge forms between his brows as he stares at me. The pond quiets until only the sound of my breath can be heard. The way he spoke about me changing the world frightened me, but in his eyes I saw a spark of how greatly he wanted it.
“MJ, I’m sor—”
“No. It’s my fault. I got ahead of myself. I’m used to having abilities. You’re not. They’re an enormous responsibility. Many angels have chosen to be reborn so they could return to a life without them. I was about to join them, until I met you. You don’t have the option to be reborn, to give up your abilities. Your abilities can be wonderful, or they can cause great devastation. We can’t be careless with them. I’ll help you gain control over them so you can choose to use them or not use them. Either way, I support you.”
“Thank you.”
A weak smile forms on his lips. And with that, I know how deeply he’s hurting. I didn’t mean to hurt him or squash his hopes. I didn’t know he had hopes for my abilities. He’s obviously given them more thought than I have. He’s not freaked out—that has to be a good sign, right? And he did say they could be wonderful. His being able to feel is a good thing. So is his being able to taste food. And I like it when we touch and I bring our souls to the bridge. Maybe, with control, my other abilities could be good too? But whether I gain control of them or not, his vision of me changing the world will never come true. I’m no superhero. Their fight is not mine. I’ll leave that to him.
Hoping to fix the damage I’ve done and ease the mood between us, I move away from the railing and smile. “All right. I’m ready. What do you want to work on?”
“Are you sure?” He tilts his head and I smile, thinking back to all the other times he’s done that.
I nod.
His smile widens. “When we touched and you brought our souls here, were you specifically thinking about the bridge, or did we come here by some other power?”
“I was thinking about the bridge.”
“Good.”
As he weaves his fingers with mine, I feel his softness for a moment, right before his essence enters me.
“If you thought of something else—another real place or perhaps even a ‘place’ you saw in a dream—do you think you could send us there too?”
“Maybe. I’m not really sure.”
His hazel eyes brighten, and he grins. “That’s better than a no. So let’s try it.”
“Try what?”
“Try sending us into one of your dreams.”
I take a step back. Some dreams are safe for him to see. Others—the ones that are Elizabeth’s memories—are not. They belong to her, not me, so sharing them doesn’t feel right. And that’s if I can even do this in the first place.
“What sort of dream do you mean?” I ask, trying to keep calm. “Mortifying ones of school? Nonsense ones with purple monsters and unicorns? Or something inspired by movies and books?”
“None of the above. I’m interested in a particular recent dream.”
My heart skips a beat, hoping he won’t ask to see Elizabeth’s dreams, but what else can it be? I told him about them yesterday at school. Of course he would want to know more. “W-what one is that?”
“The one you had yesterday while you were unconscious. I need to know how you saw my death.”
***
I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of what Maddy and MJ have been up to since you read Unclaimed. I will release another chapter of Ignited on my website: lauriewetzel.com next week!

Always,
Laurie

It’s reveal day!!! It has been so hard to keep this cover a secret, but I did it. And once so see it, you’ll understand why.

Ignited’s cover is gorgeous.

It took my breath way the moment I saw the sample image of it.

And once I saw the finished product, I loved it even more.

Here you go!!!

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What do you–

 

 

Oh! A standing ovation?!? My designer, Tiffany Daniels, will love–

Whoa! Hey guys! When did the Shire get the internet?

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Aww, the Minions love it too! Thanks

In all seriousness, I would love to hear what you all think of Ignited’s cover. Ignited will release August 10th (32 more days)! To pass the time, I will be sharing teasers, excerpts, and the first couple chapters right here and on my Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites first!! If you don’t want to miss them, be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on my sites. I love hearing from you all

Always-

Laurie

 

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I apologize to those of you who have visited the site recently for updates on me and my books. There was a little snag in renewing my site that ended up deleting everything.

 

As you can see though, I still have my wonderful gifs and memes, so all is not lost

If you had seen my event section on my website before I updated it today, you would have noticed that the past TWO MONTHS were sparse so that majority of my time could be spent editing IGNITED. (In case you missed the earlier reveal, Ignited is the title of the second book in the Unclaimed series.)

Two months may seem like a long time, but when you factor in life, those precious 60 days suddenly doesn’t seem like enough.

Still, I was fairly confident my editor and I could pull it off. She is the same brilliant woman I worked with on Unclaimed and will continue to work with on the rest of this series as well as other books. I trust her. When she sends me back her notes, I don’t freak out. Even when she’s hacking my story to bits or telling me a whole scene needs to be rewritten, even though we really don’t have the time to do it, or when we changed the ending last week…

I don’t gripe or get all huffy and claim that my book is the most amazing piece of literary art and she just doesn’t know what she’s talking about. No. I listen. I learn. I rewrite it. Because every single word she and I stress over, makes Maddy and MJ’s story, and Justin’s and Damien’s and Elizabeth’s and so many more wonderful characters that you will get to meet, that much more impactful. That much more real. And I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.

Today is the deadline for editing to wrap up. So how did we do.

We finished last night!!!!

 

There are a few more steps to go before Ignited is ready for you, so be sure to check back here and on my Facebook Page for the latest updates.

Love,

Laurie

 

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