Exciting upcoming release: Something About Love by Elana Johnson

Guys! I am SO excited about Elana Johnson's newest release, Something About Love. First, I fell completely, totally in love with her contemporary novel-in-verse, ELEVATED, and while this one is not related, it's done in the same style, and I think Elana is a genius at writing in verse.

Lucky me, I get to read it early! It's at the very top of my list this week as a reward for me finishing an edit I need to finish (but I am SO tempted to read it before then!).

Also, look at the pretty! Is this not a gorgeous cover?

About SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE: High school senior Olivia Winging gave up her love of photography when she gave up her boyfriend, Trevor Youngblood, a year and a half ago. She broke things off with Trevor because her mom married his dad, and dating your step-brother? Creepy. 

Livvy hasn’t been on good terms with her mother since, and one of her stipulations for staying at the Youngblood’s every other weekend is that Trevor can’t be there. When she gets nominated for the Junior Photography in Excellence award, Trevor insists she enter. She agrees—only if every photo in the portfolio can be of him. Knowing that Livvy can capture a person’s deepest secrets through her lens, Trevor hesitates before accepting the deal.

As Livvy gets behind the lens of her camera again, her love of photography is rekindled. Unfortunately, the time she spends with Trevor also re-ignites the old flame for him she’s kept smothered for so long.

In order for Livvy to finish her portfolio, she’ll have to face her feelings for Trevor as well as deal with the animosity between her and her mother. Livvy’s always been able to capture a person’s soul from behind the camera—but she’s not sure she likes it when the lens is suddenly focused on her. If she can’t find a way to forgive her mother and admit how she feels about Trevor, Livvy may end up losing more than just the photography contest. She could lose her heart. 

You can Pre-order SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE on Amazon and also talk about it on Goodreads.

And guys, this is very exciting too. ELEVATED, the book I mentioned above and which is my favorite of all favorites by Elana, is FREE on Amazon September 15-19 as a special promo as SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE releases. Make sure you grab it. You will NOT regret it. Promise.

Praise for Elana’s first verse novel, Elevated:

“The taut poetry keeps tension high. The plot is deftly paced, as past intrudes on present, like a photograph emerging in developing fluid.” ~San Francisco Book Review

“Every word Johnson writes carries an emotional heft that lifts readers up to the highest happiness and then sends them crashing down to the depths of despair. It is easy to flow from the first word to the last without ever putting down the book. Johnson shows outstanding talent in this form, and her words are beautiful, important and deeply felt.” ~The Deseret News

About Elana Johnson: Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. 

Her self-published novels include two YA contemporary novels-in-verse, Elevated and Something About Love, as well as a YA/NA futuristic fantasy series, which includes Elemental Rush, Elemental Hunger, and Elemental Release.

School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

Social Media Links:

Website/blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElanaJ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorelanajohnson

Tumblr: http://elanajohnson.tumblr.com/

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/elanajohnson

League of Extraordinary Writers: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/

WriteOnCon: http://writeoncon.com/

Elana on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4044383.Elana_Johnson

The Thing About Dreams (and Some GREAT Deals on books)

I’ve been thinking about dreams this week, and what people will often do to achieve them. How far we travel, how hard we work, the sacrifices we willingly make, all for dreams that may—or may not—turn out the way we hope.

That’s the thing about dreams. They generally don’t work out the way we plan them in our heads.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably already know I’m a dreamer. My dreams tend to be grandiose and maybe even unrealistic on some levels, and yet on other levels, I openly acknowledge that sometimes it’s the ability to dream, the hope it inspires, and the journey I’m traveling that makes me truly happy. And I’m really very okay with that.

I want to be a bestselling author who makes millions of dollars. There. I said it. Seriously, I don’t know a single author who would turn that down. But that’s not why I write. In fact, it’s not why MOST of us write. Some friends of mine have posted beautiful thoughts about dreams and how they change over time. How some dreams might have to be retired to make room for new ones, and how one friend realized she writes to share a bit of her soul with others.

I don’t write to make money, and that’s a good thing. If that was why, I would have been forced to quit years ago. I don’t write to please others, teach a lesson, push an agenda. I write to tell a story. I write because the very act of creating soothes me, makes me whole. I write because it’s part of who I am.

I will always dream. I will always hope that someday I’ll write that book that takes off. Someday, I’ll make enough money to buy my vacation island in a tropical somewhere. Or a yacht. Or, you know, pay off my house and send my kids to college.   

But if that never happens, it’s okay. I may have to make room for other dreams that can be more lucrative, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly be able to stop writing. And so the dream lives on.

What about you? Why do you dream?

PS. This week, you can get a boxed set of seven romantic suspense books for .99 here. This is a SERIOUSLY great deal. Don’t miss out! Also, if you haven’t grabbed your copy of Elana Johnson’s latest release, Elevated, it’s not too late. And if you haven’t snagged your copy of DESCENDANT yet, better hurry! BIRTHRIGHT comes out in a little over a month. 

Release Day: ELEVATED by Elana Johnson (and a surprise contest!)

Guys. It's been a very long time since I was so excited about a book. But this one? FIVE STARS. Or diamonds. Or thumbs up. Or whatever you use to rate books. Seriously. 

Here's the scoop. ELEVATED is written all in verse (aka poetry), which doesn't sound all that appealing necessarily, until you open the cover and read the first page. And then the second page. Before you know it, you arrive at the last page and it's three hours later and you missed going to the gym and picking up your kids from school and taking them to sports practice or dance class or whatever and it's past dinner time and you didn't even know it because you were lost in this beautiful story. Really. 

I absolutely loved Elly, and finding out why she clearly loves Trav, but doesn't want to talk to him. I love the emotional impact that hits again and again with each event that leads to the one fateful day when they end up stuck together in an elevator with their secrets and their heartache. I love how it's written. I love the voice. I love the characters. I love how real the world and the conflicts feel. But mostly, I love that Elana has managed to cram SO MUCH story into so few words. If you've never read a book in verse, read this one. You'll be converted. If you've read one and didn't like it, read this one. You'll change your mind. 

By the way, this cover is a tiny bit different from the one that was revealed in January. I like this one better. It rocks! 

Check it out!

About ELEVATED: The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

Buy Links:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

iTunes

On Goodreads

Praise for ELEVATED:

"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."

~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."

~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

About Elana Johnson: Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

Social Media Links:

Website/blog

Twitter

Facebook

Tumblr

Wattpad

League of Extraordinary Writers

WriteOnCon

Elana on Goodreads

And just because I'm so excited about this book, I've decided to hold a little contest. I'm going to give away a free e-copy of DESCENDANT to one lucky winner. To enter, all you have to do is help spread the word about ELEVATED and fill out this form. You can choose to do only one or a few, or all the options on this list. I'll notify the winner by email. Open internationally. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: ELEVATED by Elana Johnson

Guys! I am so excited about this book. I was one of the lucky early readers, and let me tell you, I am SO IN LOVE with this book. Seriously. And it's like, the fastest read ever. Super short, all in verse, and incredibly romantic. If you're a fan of romance (and really, who isn't?) you definitely need to put this on your to read list. 

Now, check out this gorgeous cover! 

Fabulous, right? 

About ELEVATED: The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

Buy Links:

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/elevated

iTunes:

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18947183-elevated

Praise for ELEVATED:

"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."

~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."

~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

About Elana Johnson: Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

Social Media Links:

Website/blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElanaJ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook

Tumblr: http://elanajohnson.tumblr.com/

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/elanajohnson

League of Extraordinary Writers: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/

WriteOnCon: http://writeoncon.com/

Elana on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4044383.Elana_Johnson

To celebrate the book's upcoming release, Elana is holding a giveaway for Paypal cash (which is the most awesome idea ever). You can enter to win here: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway