Happy February!

I like to procrastinate. A lot. It's why I still haven't unpacked from our vacation three weeks ago. Or gotten a haircut in three months. How CAN I? I've had so many more urgent things to do, like finish up this rewrite, or binge on BodyCam episodes, or argue with my husband over whether strawberry margaritas and daiquiris are the same thing (they aren't). While on my dedicated plight to procrastinate, I've also been busy with a new task: Writing My Author Ten Commandments.

Unlike the actual commandments, this list isn't set in stone, but I still thought you'd find it interesting! Here it goes...

1. Never spring a cliffhanger on readers.
2. Every book should contain a mystery.
3. Don't publish unless you're proud of it.
4. Never put a book on sale until it's at least a year old.
5. Never write a weak or spineless heroine.
6. Break rules on a regular basis. This will keep the reader guessing.
7. Trust your gut before your editors.
8. Don't rush. If you need to, bump out a release, but give your story the time it needs.
9. Invest in your product's writing time and costs: editing, proofreading, and presentation.
10. Write what you want to write, not what is hot in the market.

I kept this list beside me as I worked, and spent the majority of February rewriting SINNER SINNER. Rewriting is the process of taking a book from rough first draft to second, then third, then... sometimes eight or nine drafts. It's when I go through the manuscript deleting and adding content, changing point-of-views, scenes, and details. Often I make drastic changes in the entire plot, and sometimes I change just the beginning or the ending. I'm a hardcore rewriter and I have to be, because my first drafts are a COMPLETE MESS. They're disgusting. If you ever try to write a book and convince yourself that it's terrible--KEEP GOING. Like I tell my students, first drafts are supposed to be ugly. Think of the first time a baby walks. They fall down. They are pigeon-toed. They bump into things. But five years later, they are sprinting around and jumping over things!

My first draft of this book was a blindfolded baby on roller skates. Now, it's pirouetting and double-axeling like an Olympic contestant.

Speaking of this novel... it's called SINNER SINNER and it's a psychological suspense. If you read The Ghostwriter, it's the same genre, and will appeal to the same audience. You guys have been begging me for another Ghostwriter so... WAHOO! One is on its way.

I love this book. It's rotten and twisted and is one of those books where your heart is in your throat the entire time and you hate and love the characters as you read it... until BAM! The best moment of the book. I won't spoil it for you, but it's a pretty cool moment.

I don't know when I'll publish this book. It may be traditionally published, or I may publish it myself. I've got a lot of decisions to make on the future of this novel, but if you want to be notified when it releases, please click here to read the description and add it to Goodreads.

Latest book updates!

GET READY... because I'm going to share a new cover with you! I recently pulled Sex Love Repeat from shelves. It's gone forever, but it's coming back in 2 days with a new cover, new title, and 99¢ release! You can preorder it now, and/or grab it on KindleUnlimited on March 1st. It will be exclusively on Amazon for its first 90 days.
Preorder: smarturl.it/undertowaz

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COVER REVEAL AND NEW RELEASE!

A love triangle you'll never expect...

In some ways, I was so ordinary. Waking up in bed with my Paul, my surfer boyfriend, our life filled with sandy toes and tan lines. I stocked books during the day and danced with him to Bob Marley at night.

In other ways, I was unordinary. I'd dust off the sand and step into Stewart's limousine. Zip up my evening gown and slide into my other life. Champagne and maid service. Orgasms and my businessman.

My life was a tide, pulling me back and forth between the two men. Soothing. Peaceful.

Then the undertow came, pulling my lives together, my men colliding, my breath shortening, arms flailing against the current, my heart breaking in its strength.

I should have known it would never work out.

*This story was originally titled Sex Love Repeat.
Preorder: smarturl.it/undertowaz

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I was in Dallas this last weekend at a signing. You wouldn't know it, but the author community is very close-knit. We support each other, cheer on our successes, and help us through our rough times. Writing and publishing comes with a very unique set of struggles, and it often takes another author to understand those highs and lows. One of the best parts of a signing is seeing the amazing women who I communicate with often, but rarely get to see in person.



We just celebrated our 12th anniversary in Exuma! I got to swim with sharks! They were so friendly and courteous. They felt like velvet sandpaper.

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Also in Exuma, I swam with pigs! If you saw the Fyre Festival documentary, this is the same island. The pigs were really aggressive, but I escaped without being bitten (yay!). Also, they were adorable. If you want to read a romance with the best pig ever in it, check out Tripping on a Halo. :)

I hope you enjoyed this blog post.

Happy Reading!

Alessandra Torre