The Wasted Book Club (Info!)

It's not hammer time. 

It's not time after time.

It's BOOK CLUB TIME!

Lame intro? It's fine. This post is all aimed to be informative and exciting! 

If you signed up using the last post then you've either received an email from me or been invited to a Facebook group. If you WANT to sign up but haven't yet, you can go straight to the Facebook group where this club will be clubbin'. 

Now, onto the meat of this sexy sandwich.

The first round of discussions will be on the book Elegantly Wasted.
I will make a post in the Facebook group on Tuesday (Sept. 3) around 7:30 PST. Everyone can comment on that post. We'll chat about the questions I've come up with a bit and then I'll open up the floor.

For each new topic/question, we'll make a new post within the group. That way, if you miss Tuesday's talk you can easily catch up on what we talked about AND comment with your opinion.

I'm going to go ahead and post in the group about taking questions for Author C. Elizabeth Vescio. So, make sure to put your question in there!

I will be on and active in the group on Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 PST also.

During the day/night/in-between feel free to post opinions, questions, or general chatter about the plot, character, or anything else book-related!

I want this to work for everyone, so if there is something you don't like about this plan or a suggestion you have feel free to message me!

Again, here is the link to the group: The Wasted Book Club.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

The Wasted Book Club + VASSASSINS

Want to know what's sexy?

Book clubs.

Want to know what's even sexier?

A book club dedicated to The Wasted Series by C. Elizabeth Vescio.

I know, I know...we talk about her and the series A LOT around here. Read the first book and you'll see why.

So, back to heart of the matter--The Wasted Book Club.

Starting next month, I want to hold a few online discussions where we can talk about "Elegantly Wasted" (book one in the series) and what we liked, what we loved, and everything else EW-related. I'll provide fun, naughty, and thought-provoking questions along with fun tidbits from Author C. Elizabeth Vescio herself!

I understand that not everyone has a webcam so I'll be looking for a text-based, chat solution to accommodate us all! (If you have any suggestions feel free to leave in a comment or email me at tylerasnell@gmail.com!)

For now I'd like to share the link to sign up: click this, you lovely creature,  you.
Don't worry, I'll keep you in the loop!

Now, let's talk about something kickass for a second.

Starting today you can become a Vassassin. 

What the what? Listen, it's the damn bee's knees.

The Vassassins are a group of people (chicks AND dudes) that make up a street team for C. Elizabeth Vescio and The Wasted Series. What's a street team? It's a support system for both the author and the series--a gathering of readers and fans ready to help promote both. 

Not to mention, once you become a Vassassin, you'll be a part of killer community!

Sign up and you get access to a point system that, if you decide to participate, can yield some badass rewards. Not to mention you'll get access to some awesome resources that any fan of the series will love. 

Need more info.? Go here! Want to sign up? Go here!

Have any questions? Email me at tylerasnell@gmail.com.

Did I mention I'm team captain? Because I AM!

#vassassin out!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

The back of our books

So, what are these books we've been talking so much about? If they had covers and all, this is what you might find on the back of the books! Both of our titles are very much in progress, but we'd love some feedback on our summaries!

Conner Moon, the son of a Senator and a rising star in the Mobile District Attorney's office, has lived a pretty comfortable life in south Alabama with one exception: the death of his sister.

When an disheveled woman shows up at his front door 13 years later looking for help, Conner discovers his sister, Danni, might not be as dead as he thought.

As Conner seeks out his long-lost sister, he finds himself tangled in a web of lies about his past and comes face to face with a truth he isn't sure he can handle: his greatest enemy is a lot closer than he ever imagined.

With the help of his wife and his best friend, Conner must tackle dangerous territory and countless dead ends to save the one person that will keep his world together before its too late. 

--Holli Anne



Goodwyn knows one thing for certain: telling the truth can be deadly. After a hormone-driven fight leads to her mother’s suicide, she vows to never let her web of lies get tangled again.

Fast-forward eight years later, she's consumed her life in lies and the real Goodwyn has fallen between the cracks. That is, until she meets a man who offers her a job at an interactive PR company—a position that would utilize her lying strengths while paying her the big bucks for it. She would be a part of a team of fellow liars—each with a secret past that may put her own horror to rest.

Before she can officially accept, she is thrown into a job that puts her deep into the throngs of rich socialites, sexist old men, and straight into a world that she has to pretend she’s always belonged to, all in order to uncover the plans of a handsome billionaire…or to be there when the bottom falls out afterward. What was supposed to be a fact-finding job turns into a painful, terrifying, and eye-opening experience that leaves Goodwyn questioning everything.

Now Goodwyn is caught in an underground war between two powerful groups, the desire to finally tell the truth, and the promise she made to herself long ago to uphold her new life of lies at all costs. A struggle made harder by the new reality that the people the company are interested in are a little more extraordinary than she thought.

--Tyler Anne

The summer of victory!

Tyler and I both took on one ambitious goal last month: Writing books.

A month later, and thanks to National Novel Writing Month's Summer Camp (CampNaNoWriMo), we both succeeded in cranking out those first drafts. 

She wrote a synopsis on her book-writing process here, and today I thought I'd share mine. 

The backstory

I actually started my book last November. I had a dream about the opening scene, woke up and wrote it out. I kept going for the next 50 or so pages with only this vague idea of what exactly this book was going to be about. I had to let the story begin to come to life before I could really develop a concrete plot. 

If you're a regular follower of this blog, you know that a few months after November, I was busy getting married (and preparing for that), so the book took a huge spot on the backburner. I would write still, but it was sporadic and random. 

Still, I kept talking the plot over with some trusted writer friends (like Tyler, my rock) and developing the story in my head. 

When I heard about NaNoWriMo's summer camp, I immediately jumped on board. Sure, July is hands down not the easiest month to tackle a huge project, but what really is? 

The writing process

Two things are true about my writing style: Sitting down and doing it every day is a challenge; a mandated word count is hard to meet. 

I had to do both of those things in July, and somedays that was a gigantic hurdle. We went out of town a lot that month (hello, summertime!). I still had to write. 

If I was sick or just tired from working or anything else, I still had to write. 

The discipline got easier for me at the end. Actually I did not start camp off with a bang but rather eased my way into meeting my daily word counts and being anti-social when needed. 

At the beginning of the month, the whole thing was pretty daunting to me. Somewhere in the middle I started to get in a groove and fell in love with writing all over again. And by the end I was just rushing, tired and ready to finish. 

Now what?

I definitely have taken a good week or so to just relish in the whole completing a first draft process. 

Now, it's time to buckle down and write the second draft, get it readable and as Tyler said, beg beta readers to read it for me! 

And definitely lots of blogging. I actually have a super huge announcement coming in a separate post soon, soon, soon! 

—Holli Anne

The Month That Tyler Drank Way Too Much Coffee

Forgive the long post title but as I was sitting here thinking of names, that one was the first to pop up. Plus, it is oh-so-true.

July was the month that Holli Anne and I decided to crack down and finish our books. It was the month that I stayed in front of my computer for an abnormal amount of hours, stressed about daily word counts, and (again) drank way too much coffee. 

But, it was also the month that I finally finished a first draft--an accomplishment I'm extremely proud of and that makes my heart happy.

Camp NaNoWriMo

When I joined Camp at the end of June, I was pretty pumped. First off, I'd never been to any real camp (yeah I was one of those kids who hated being away from home, so sue me) so I was looking forward to the camp feel even if it was online. Secondly, it was thrilling to sign up and fill in all the information about my work in progress. Something about writing the book's title and genre out just made everything seem so real.

Then came the whole word count mess. Easy, right? Just pick a set amount of words for the month and at the end of each day put in how many you'd done. I picked 40,000 words and LET ME TELL YOU THAT'S A LOT!

I channeled my college days and, as you can see by my graph, I waited last minute to do the biggest stretch of writing. Also you can see a standstill three days at the beginning when the holiday spirit took me and didn't let me write.

It's A-OK, though because I FINISHED!

The good, the bad, and the ugly of July

The good part about this experience is, well, obvious. I made a goal and I worked my ass off to meet it. Writing books has always been my biggest dream in life and I finally decided I wanted it enough to work harder and longer (that's what she said) than before. 

I also was surprised at the support from friends, family, and strangers (other Campers and my Twitter cult). I was cheered on daily and had tons of offers from people who wanted to help me meet my goal. For that support, I thank all of you!

Not to mention, there was Holli Anne--my rock. We talked/bitched every day about Camp and our books. She was/is my book sister in arms! Thanks, #twin!

I have to give another shout out to my dear friend Rachel who was also by my side (okay, well on Facebook) every step of the way. From "does this sound okay" to "should I have killed them" to awkward sex scenes and paragraphs riddled with profanity, Rachel read more of the book than anyone else! She even made me celebrate with Cupcake Sangria! Thank you, Rachel!

The bad of July and Camp in general was the stress to produce high word counts and the rush to finish on time. It stands to fact: things that are rushed usually suck ass. If this had been a second draft, I wouldn't have given myself such a concrete deadline. However, since I did, there are some parts of the book that need to be rewritten PRONTO. Plus, there are definitely a few "Write more here, KTHANKS!" reminders throughout the 67,000-word beast.

The ugly of July? Probably the second to the last day where I threw my hands up in defeat, starting crying, then promptly took a long ass nap. I thought the book was horrible, the plot was cliche, the characters boring, and the twists not OMG enough. That was the low, ugly point of July. (Thankfully, Boy Tyler assured me I wasn't shit and neither was the book. Thanks, Boy T!)

What's next?

Second draft, homies! Then I'll start begging beta readers to go through everything! PUMPED!

Until then, I'll be back to blogging!

Here are two post I'll be doing this week: The Wasted Book Club Announcement (you can sign up here) and a synopsis of my book! GET PUMPED, GUYS!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

We're Back!

Ahhhh!! We did it and we're back!

For those of you who didn't know, we (the Annes) took a month-long break from blog posting (so sad!) to finish our respective novels! Using Camp NanoWriMo, we spent everyday of July writing towards our goal word counts. I'm not going to lie, it was difficult at some points. For both of us July was one HECK of a busy month!

At the end of it all, though, we met our goals. We finished our first drafts. We conquered writer's block and ignored procrastination.

What does that mean for us now? Well, we're working through our second drafts and the joys of editing (insert a touch of sarcasm here)! However, this post is the first in our return to blogging!

What you can expect next week from us:

• Tyler Anne's Camp NanoWriMo experience
• Holli Anne's Camp NanoWriMo experience
• A post that will contain the synopsis of both Anne books!!!

So, welcome back bloggy friends! We hope your month of July was wonderful!

-The Annes

Above picture can be found and linked back to original owner here.