It's LIVE

My Favorite Character

My most favorite character to write is Andrew. 

He’s such a complex individual, he’s not easily defined as black or white. As matter of fact, I can’t truly pinpoint what color spectrum Andrew’s personality is. 

He’s so flawed, he’s real. 

He’s a hero, but not the ordinary Prince Charming. 

He’s a villain, but not the heartless monster who burns down every living thing within his sight. 

He’s a human being, not a Knight in shining armor. 

He makes mistakes. He fixes it. 

He protects the people he loves. 

He feels responsible for everyone’s happiness but his. 

He’s a coward; he’s a warrior. 

He’s one contradicting man with many layers to his personality. I don’t even want to start mentioning his bleak past.

After three years of writing, Andrew and Lea's story finally comes to an end. I cherish every moment I have with all of the characters. If I were allowed to choose a favorite, I'd pick Andrew. He holds a very special place in my heart. Watching him grow is an amazing experience.

I Won't Break release date : February 2, 2016

I Won't Break Cover Reveal

The sequel to My Lea is here.
Well. Okay. Not really 'here' here yet because its release date is February 2nd, 2016, but the cover is here. Designed by the talented bertodesign.com

Heads out to Instagram for Cover Reveal Giveaway starting now until Nov 10. Find us using hashtag #IWontBreakCoverReveal

Find more about I Won't Break here.

MY LEA Review

This is probably the best review I've ever had *dances*

Click here for more of Cassandra's review

Amazon paperback

After nearly a year since I published the ebook version of MY LEA, I finally did its Amazon paperback version. Woot!

The process is not as scary as I thought it would be. I encountered a few minor problems which were resolved right away by the Createspace team. Phew!

MY LEA paperback is now available through Amazon. Go check it out :)

MY LEA paperback

I stil can't believe that the first printing batch that I did for fun and without any proper sales plan has SOLD OUT, and that I'm currently looking at the second printing edition of my book 🙆🙆.

Thank you so much, guys, for supporting Lea and Andrew. It means so much for a debut indie author like me. (It means the stars and the moon and the sun and everyhting else)

*takes a deep breath**

Okay. Here we go 😀.

For signed copies, please drop me an email at themellyberry@gmail.com

Thank youuuuu....

Don't Quit Yet

Alright.
I'm blogging about praises I've received for MY LEA. Yup, you're right, this is me showing off, not gonna deny it.

I have every right to, I guess. Who wouldn't be proud of their own children, right? Our creation is our kid.

My Lea is special to me because of many things :

- it was my debut novel.
- it was written in English, and English is not my first language.
-  I've written it with blood, tears, frustration, fear, rejection, insecurities, also love and pride for three long years.
- I taught myself how to write by reading lots and lots of books, articles, reviews, blogs, anything I can get my hands on, and following authors I admire. I never had any formal education in writing. My background is faaaar from writing. Far, far from it.
- My Lea's rating is not so bad for a first-timer. Teehee!

So please excuse me while I dance for me. I kinda need that, because as you know, writing is a lonely business. And it's a tough business. If I don't stop once in a while to smell the roses, it'd be too easy for me to forget why I write in the first place.

Also, this showing-off post is for you - aspiring writers, dreamers, beginners... 

Don't quit just yet. The journey is complex. I remember whenever I was thisclosetogiveup, I would stop, distract myself from my writing and find something else that could inspire me.
So I'm paying this forward. I hope this post inspires you. I hope My Lea inspires you.

Don't quit just yet. Break down the goal and deadlines into smaller portions. It's easier to manage that way.

Don't quit just yet. Don't let others define - or worse, belittle - you, your passion, or your creation. You are not competing against other people. You're competing against yourself.

Don't quit, okay. Because if I can do this, writing a bloody 90K words worth of a novel in foreign language, so can you.

And now... have you read My Lea ?

Amazon  Kobo  B&N  iBook

#amwriting

Just the other day, I’ve overwhelmed myself with the stress of having launched a book.

What kind of promotion I should do next, how to maximize sales, what to do with negative reviews, why my brain seems to stop functioning when it comes to writing, where the hell is my royalty payment, what to do with my backlog titles, whether or not I should keep writing children’s books or branch out to other genres, traditional publishing vs. self pub, why can't I shake off this writers block WTH, it’s so difficult to write a sequel, my daily life is stealing away my writing time, my writing cave looks totally uninspiring, I have no idea what to write for my next books, what should I write for my social media, how to run a successful social media, what the other bestselling authors are doing and whether or not I should copy their moves, where the hell is my writing muse when I need her the most, what if my book sales stops, what if I run out of promotion ideas, why this blogger and that blogger haven’t replied me, how to reach more reviewers, how to edit my work, what to write, what to write, and so on, so on, so on….

I drove myself mental. I burned myself and everything around me. If someone told me that writing was a blissful profession, I would strangle that person with my teeth, claws, sword, and would so expelliarmus that person into the next century.

Writing and its yada-yada business is NOT blissful. Not even close. It’s the total opposite of blissful.

Then my husband, who has gone extremely tired with my rants and enormous self-pity, snapped at me. “My God, you’re unbelievable,” he said in his most charming tone ever. “You know how many people out there wish they could have your talent and the opportunity to share their works with the world?”

I’m glad he thinks—and believes--that my talent is a ‘real talent’. Not gonna argue with him on this. But I’m gonna argue with everything else he said.

“But, but…,” I argued with the intention to burn down the world of writers with me, “You have no idea how exhausting it is to deal with the business plan and the aftermath of creating a book. You wouldn’t know. You work in a financial institution; all you do is buy and sell and calculate a simple math equation with your calculator.”

In which he replied, “Since when your number one hobby, the one that makes you smile and fly over the rainbow, makes you this bitter? Why are you so stress over writing?”

Before I could even order my tongue to shoot acid reply at him, he added, and what he said stopped my fury dead, “Write for fun. Please, I beg you. Don’t worry too much about what to do after you finish writing it, just keep writing, good or bad, funny or suck-ass, just write for yourself.”

And it strikes me. One of the greatest authors in the world once said the same thing, too. “Write for yourself,” said J. K. Rowling.

My husband, a non-artistic person, shares the same thought as J. K. Effing Rowling. Who is the writer in da house, really, me or him?

So I force myself to calm down.

Of course my husband is right.

Write for yourself.

Write for fun. Don’t worry, the rest would follow.

Write for fun, guys, #amwritingforfun!

Are you?

*****

My New Adult Contemporary novel MY LEA is availabe at  

Amazon
Kobo
B&N
iBooks

Scribd

 

Psst. Now, that we establish that ground #amwritingforfun rule, would you add my book to your TBR pile? 

*winks, bats eyelashes, smiles angelically*

I run a goodreads giveaway from now until April 24^th, 2015. You can enter here

 

What I think of Clean Reader App

I first learned about Clean Reader App when I read Chuck Wendig’s blogpost last night. The next thing I did was to check the app myself.

It’s true! It’s really there, this Clean Reader App with its tag “Read books, not profanity”.

I didn’t download it though. I tell you why. I separate my explanation into three parts: from an author’s point of view, from a reader’s, and from a mother’s.

I’m an author

My novel, My Lea, falls into new adult contemporary genre. Though not as scorching hot as, let’s say Katy Evans’s or Abbi Glines’ books, My Lea deals with darker issues and emotions. One of the characters, who is in his early 20s, is full of anger and frustration, it’s hard to imagine him talks and thinks differently than the way he talks and thinks in the book. I didn’t throw in profanity because I felt badass writing it. It’s there because the character I create demands it. It’s a part of him. Besides, clearing up the bad words won’t make my book instantly suitable for younger readers anyway, because even if it’s squeaky clean, the message I’m painting through my story is not for their consumption. In this regard, I kind of fail to see why cleaning up a book would make it different, because for me, the book’s content as a whole—its message, its story, its honesty—is more important. Seriously, profanity is nothing as long as it suits the character and within context. If you're so bothered with profanities, then maybe you don't get the big picture here. 

My books are my kids. I gave birth to them. I’m proud of them just the way they are. I’m not asking everyone to adore my kids, let’s be honest, there’s no rule that forces us to love everyone’s kids. If you love them, thank you, if you don’t, well, okay then. I love the way my book-kids turn out. If someone out there decides that they don’t like my kid’s green eyes, please don’t ask my kid to wear sunglasses to cover the eyes they happen not to like. Or to change my kid’s hairstyle, or the way my kid dresses. Or the way they curse.

I’m a reader

When I read, I like to be able to feel and think. I need to connect to the characters. To be able to connect is to be able to understand the way these people think and speak, bare and honest. If I think I can’t stand a certain type of genre, or story, or words, I’d stay away. I can never digest horror, so I avoid those. I wouldn’t want to read it and have the words like blood and torn flesh (for example) cleaned up because they offend me. It doesn’t work that way, I guess.

I don’t have a master degree in psychology, but I learn enough to know how weird our brain thinks. The more we cover up, the more curious we get, the more our brain will think about those hidden words. Sure, the app changes bad word into something else, but we know the actual word behind those blurry lines now, don’t we? And it will make us think about it more than if we just let our eyes read the actual word. Well, I could be wrong, but… 

"Ha! I know it's not darn. It's this ____ word, right? RIGHT?"

I’m a mother

I’m very picky when it comes to my kids' reading choice. I’m glad I have many bookworm friends who occasionally recommend books for my kids, but I still screen the recommendation myself before handing them over to my children. As a parent to young kids (12 and 7 respectively), it’s my responsibility to set boundaries. Agreed, I wouldn’t want my kids to read books that are not suitable for their age. Agreed, I’d prefer my kids to read books that are clean. Responsibility falls in my hand as their mother. We can’t delegate it to some app. If I think a book is not suitable for my kids, either the content is too mature or they are not my kids’ preference, I would cross it off my list and ask my kids to wait until they’re ready/mature enough to read it. I would not let them read that book with the help of a clean reader app.

There you go, people, my humble two cents.

Keep writing, keep reading, and be yourself!

Add My Lea in Goodreads

My Lea is available in all sites that sell ebooks:

Amazon B&N Kobo iBooks

Goodreads Giveaway

Hey you, guys.

So excited to tell you that I'm having an International Goodreads Giveaway from now until April 24, 2015.

click here to enter!

Happy Valentine's Day

Fifty Shades of Grey Valentine's Day

I'm in the middle of writing the sequel to my novel MY LEA, and because it's Valentine's week, and because I'm so enamored with this Fifty Shades movie phenomenon, I decided to make my fictional characters a part of this too. 

Here's what happened when Lea and Andrew meet Christian Grey :)

Andrew picked up the Fifty Shades book Lea had left on the coffee table. He turned it over and read the synopsis. Then he flipped the pages the way a guy would flip a Playboy magazine looking for pictures. 

Lea counted mentally. One, two, thr--

"How come a twenty something guy became a billionaire in such a short time?" he asked, raising his eyebrows mockingly at her as if she was the author of Fifty Shades of Grey. Yeah, she wished.

More flipping ensued. "Does this author know anything about business?" 

Lea shrugged. "She does know a lot about sex. Last time I checked, sex outsells business books."

There was a pause. 

Lea lifted her head. 

Andrew's shoulders shook with silent laughter. 

***

My friend: You really believe life is unfair?

Me: Of course I do. 

My friend: Give me an example.

Me: Fifty Shades of Grey. Average writing, bad prose, one-dimensional characters, no story plot, bestsellers.

My friend: You forgot hot sex.

Me: Yes. Hot sex. Lots of it.

My friend: Then it's fair. 

Moral of the conversation : hot sex = bestsellers = life is fair.

***

A rare Valentine's Day conversation I have with my husband this week :

Hubby: Wow. This Fifty Shades thing really kicks ass, huh? I mean... look at this.

(he shows me ads from Amazon and other medias) They offer a set of Fifty Shades handcuffs and flogger as a Valentine's gift as opposed to the usual flowers and chocolate.

Me: (impassive)

Hubby: It's a big deal, honey. Not many people has the ability to rewrite a (Valentine's Day) history.

***

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, GUYS.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU. 

XOXO,  mellyberry

Start

Everyone has to start somewhere, and three years ago I've started somewhere with these babies. Now I'm standing with a new adult novel MY LEA, and nine children’s books  (one is on its way soon).
Still a long way to go, I know, but I will stop now and then and just be grateful 😇...

Editing, anyone?

Taken from MY LEA edited manuscript

Q: Is editing hard?

My-brilliant-answer: Of course not. Not at all. It’s only super-blowing-my-mind kinda hard.

Q : Can we self-edit?

My-so-not-intelligent-answer: Well. I suppose if we can take selfie, we can do pretty much everything self-related.

Truth is, it differs from author to author. In my case where English is not my first language, my capability of editing my own work is as credible as my capability of piloting a space rocket. So yeah. I don't need editors.

I’ve been asked a lot of self-pub-related questions since I published my first novel MY LEA last November. I thought why not start with editing topic today.

We’re so fortunate to have my friend, Mickey Reed, who would take us deeper into the world of editing. Mickey is a full time editor and has been working with many authors; some of them are bestselling ones.

So without further ado, here she is!

Hey, everyone! As Melly said, my name is Mickey Reed, and I am a freelance copyeditor for self-published authors. Today, I’m going to explain why I believe editing is important—very important—to the publishing process, talk about why I think everyone should hire an editor, go over the major different types of editing, and discuss how to choose an editor for your project. It sounds a little dry or intimidating, but it’s imperative to putting your best work out there.

Just about every author will give you their advice about publishing. They’ve been there, so they have learned from mistakes and celebrated successes. Guess what almost every one of them will tell newbie authors not to skimp on? Editing! Why? Because it’s the process that makes your already amazing words shine a little brighter. It helps you look professional and serious about writing books as a business. It puts your best foot forward, because readers don’t want to wade through missing words and typos to get to the end of your incredible story. They want a clean copy that doesn’t distract them. For me, nothing is worse than getting pulled out of the story by incorrect word choices, bad punctuation, or dangling participles.

Aren’t familiar with that last one? Then you probably need an editor. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that we all do. Self-editing only takes us so far before we need another set of eyes to make sure we’ve dotted every I and crossed every T. Our brains fill in the holes and gaps, but a different brain might catch the things we’ve missed. And when they’re your own words, it’s hard to see the mistakes. Not to mention, no one knows and follows every single grammar rule out there. I’ve written a book, and I ran it through two rounds of editing. They each found different things I didn’t see when reading my own work back, and they errors things the other didn’t fix, too. Bottom line: even editors have editors. We all need them.

But what type of editing do you need? Likely, a few different kinds. There are four major editing rounds, and if you choose multiple rounds, you’ll want to do them in this order. Content editing (or substantive editing) is the big one. It rips your story apart for plot holes, character development and likability, story plausibility and accuracy, pacing, consistency, and overall feel and tone. Basically, it makes your manuscript bleed and points out everything wrong with it so you can fix it. Wrong is sometimes subjective, though, so separate opinion from fact and go with your gut. Line editing is the next step, which checks for sentence structure, transitions, paragraph-to-paragraph pacing and continuity, and writing style. It makes things consistent and grammatically correct, but it still might require rewrites and self-editing, so move on to copyediting after that. Copyediting deals with reference and fact-checking as well as word choice and POV consistency. Proofreading is the final line of defense, so it cleans up and polishes punctuation, spelling, homophones, missing and extra words, and syntax. Like I said, your manuscript might need multiple types of editing, and that’s okay.

So how do you choose an editor for your project? Do your research. Google for editors, ask your writing buddies, read a well-edited book and check to see who worked on it, or browse freelancing websites to find options. Then get samples edited (preferably the same chapter from each editor for comparison) and see what you find. Most importantly, learn about editing too. Take a class or brush up on some grammar rules so you can decide if the editors on your list actually know their stuff. Don’t get duped into hiring someone who says that they will line edit for you but can only catch when you use their and there incorrectly. Always make sure you know what you’re getting into before the process starts or a contract is signed. And work with critique partners who will read your work and give you honest feedback about what they think you need. In the end, trust your gut.

Sounds a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? It certainly can be, but it doesn’t have to be. Empower yourself to know the differences of what people offer, get samples from many potential editors, and make comparisons. Ask questions. Request more information. Don’t be shy. This is business, and anyone worth their salt will sit down with you and go over everything about their editing process. Know that you’ll make mistakes you can learn from, and realize that there are many options out there. You’ll find the right editor for your work eventually, and your readers will be so happy you did.

Bio:

Mickey Reed is a full-time freelance editor who works on manuscripts from multiple genres. Throughout her career, she has worked on over two hundred fifty projects, several of which are USA Today, New York Times, and Amazon bestselling novels and novellas. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and a houseful of pets, and when she’s not editing, she’s writing her own books and short stories. You can find her online atmickeyreedediting.com.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/imabookshark

Facebook: www.facebook.com/imabookshark

MY LEA BLOG TOUR HAS STARTED

MY LEA Blog Tour has kicked off Monday 19 January 2015 and will continue till 23 January!

I'm super thrilled. Can't sleep. Can't eat. Can't talk. Can't write. I hope I didn't make tons of typo writing this post because holy shoooot woooot, Lea and Andrew are on the tour!

Come and join us. Enter to win prizes 😀.
You can find the blog tour link here :

http://xpressobooktours.com/2014/11/13/tour-sign-up-my-lea-by-e-mellyberry/

H-7 To Blog Tour

So so very excited!

My Lea is available at most sites that sell ebooks ☺

2014 Summary

My seven-year-old daughter made this for me using an app she found on my Android.
She calls her creation 'My Mommy's books'.

Best Christmas present EVAH!

What do you think? Like it?

A story of THANKS on Thanksgiving

When I decided to publish MY LEA, I've never thought I would need to publish it in different formats other than eBook.

Then one day, I stared at my bookshelf and couldn’t help imagining how great it would feel to have my own copy of MY LEA sitting on the shelf along with the rest of the books from my favorite authors. I decided to make the paperback—just one copy—for myself. Yes, I’m vain like that.

I know I could use Createspace, but I want something different. What can I say? I’m a crazy perfectionist when it comes to beautiful stuff. So I contacted this local printer who has a reputation for printing high-quality books. I told them I wanted to order only one copy, or two maximum.
Because they were polite, they didn’t slam the phone down when they heard my request, but gently told me that a minimum order of 100 must be met before anything can happen. And I went, “One-hundred? Are you freaking kidding me?”

Finally, after arguing (and a lot begging from my part), we agreed on a number that was waaay below their minimum order. I’m so proud of myself for winning this argument.

This story is going somewhere, I promise. I also promise that it has nothing to do with my vanity, my arguing capability, or my stupidity.

I’ve received my mock-up copy last night, and as I expected, the quality of the printing and the paper is flawless.

I put up some pictures of Melly-the-Vain holding MY LEA book before I went to bed. I woke up with more than thirty orders sitting around in my mailboxes and my sites.

HOLY WOW! I did not expect this. I was thinking yeah maybe five, but thirty-two? In one night? And that doesn't include the numbers from my mom yet. (Yes, my mother is the kind of mom who forces her friends to buy her daughter's books. Looks like I need to apologize to some of her friends later.)

If my printing guys were to read this, I’m sure they would punch me with “TOLDYA”, roll their eyes, and double the price for my next order. I have a strong feeling about the latter one.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to say thanks to each and every one of you. To my friends, my readers, and my family—especially to the ones who has bought MY LEA, eBook or paperback or BOTH (my gosh, you are all amazing)—thanks for supporting me. You have no idea HOW MUCH it means to me. Debut authors are like babies. They need a lot of helping hands to hold them up when they start  learning how to walk.

You’re all my precious helping hands and I’m very, very, very, so very grateful.

May God always bless YOU with great success and never-ending love and happiness! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone <3>

*MY LEA paperback will be available in mid-December 2014.

MY LEA COVER REVEAL

Finally!
After waiting for like three months—I know because I’ve been counting—the cover is finally revealed! Finally, my book has a 'face'.

I’m so glad that my old friend, a very talented illustrator, Evelyn agreed to help me out with the cover art. The cover represents everything that is in the story: the lemonade metaphor, the color (lemon yellow and sugar white), the guy’s face and the title are made out of the lemonade’s spill.


For those of you who have already added MY LEA to your goodreads TBR, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU GUYS TO THE MOON AND BACK!

See you all in mid November... 

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

My Lea by E. Mellyberry
(A Broken Love Story, #1)
Publication date: November 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

A simple girl.

A broken guy.

One horrible incident.

When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.

Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.

He was also the guy who hurt her.

Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.

Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.

His traumatic past refused to let him go.

When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.

MY LEA news

Hello, everyone.

Most of you have probably heard that my novel, MY LEA, will be released in November 2014. This whole thing is so exciting for me. Not only this would be my first full-length novel, this is also my first English book.

MY LEA is a Contemporary New Adult. It's the first book in the A Broken Love Story series. Word count is around 93K.
If you wish to know more about the book, please click the link below. It will take you to the goodreads page in no time.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18759732-my-lea



Cover reveal is scheduled to take place on October 16th. Xpresso is the drive behind it. Feel free to sign up to join the fun :) Signing up is easy and free. You don't need to do anything beside signing up and posting. For those awesome people who's already signed up, YOU ARE INCREDIBLE, GUYS. AND I LOVE YOU!

The cover is designed by my friend, Evelyn Gozalli, a talented Indonesian illustrator. I love the cover like crazy, and I'm saying this not because it's my cover, but because it's really beautiful. Every element on that cover has meaning that's related to the story. You need to read the book to know... or you could just ask me :)

Here's the link for the cover reveal sign up.
http://xpressobooktours.com/2014/09/29/cover-reveal-sign-up-my-lea-by-e-mellyberry/



I'll come back with more news about MY LEA and other writing/self publishing stories after the cover reveal. Make sure you don't miss any of these :)

Thank you, guys. Stay tune !
E. Mellyberry